Fallout
by Nicbearosaurus
Summary: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.
1. Chapter 1: Changes

Fallout

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Disclaimer: **This disclaimer applies to all subsequent chapters as well. I do not own Glee. Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy. All I know is a bachelor apartment, a laptop, and a cat... so yeah, not much.

**Warning: **For this chapter and all subsequent chapters, there will be mentions of non-con. It may not always be a scene of some sort, but it's mentioned alot.

**A/N**: This story is the sequel to my story 'Invisible', if you haven't read it, you should. However it's not totally necessary. A lot of the events that are referred to in this story are also somewhat explained in it. But seriously, you should read it .

Alright, as for a posting schedule I'll be posting every Friday. I may post more often if I write more than expected that week, however I am in the midst of moving to a new city so it will probably end up just being once a week. Enjoy the first chapter!

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><p><span>Chapter 1<span>: Changes

Blaine's eyes took a quick peek around the coffee shop before he slipped into his chair and stared over at his two (former?) best friends, "Okay, what's going on? I thought you guys were pissed at me for leaving the Warblers? Now suddenly I get a text saying I need to meet you guys here and it's urgent?"

David's head looked downward and Blaine noticed that the other boy was drawing circles on the table with his finger. "Wes and I heard some things."

"Oh," Blaine nodded in sudden understanding. There had been somewhat of a media blackout during the trial, but now that Karofsky had confessed and the trial was over, the blackout was also over. Of course his, Kurt's and Finn's names were all still withheld since they were minors, but all of Ohio now knew that a football jock had raped the only (well formerly only) out gay kid at William McKinley High.

It wouldn't be difficult for Wes and David to figure out just who that was. It wouldn't be difficult for anyone who lived in Lima and the surrounding area to figure out who it was.

"We wanted to apologize," Wes added in a quiet voice, "We didn't know that was why you transferred. We just thought-"

"I know what you thought," Blaine reminded him, letting his eyes flicker around the room once again out of habit. "You made it quite clear that I was and I quote 'following Kurt around like some kind of lovesick puppy'."

Their faces both fell as they spoke in quiet unison, "We're sorry."

David's eyes flickered upward, "We want to tell Kurt we're sorry too, for not being around for him… and for what happened."

Blaine's lips pursed together tightly before he spoke, "Kurt doesn't like it when people who weren't involved talk about it. Now that it's over, he wants it to be over." He took in a breath, "He pretty much only lets Finn and I talk about it with him; us and his counselor. So I don't think that's a good idea."

"Oh," David murmured, then he looked to Wes, before returning his gaze to Blaine, "Well, what we really wanted to say… was we missed our Blainey-boy and-"

Blaine's whole body stiffened silently as David spoke. '_Blainey-boy.'_ It was still David's voice, but in his head a very different David was blowing in his ears.

"-even though you live in Lima now, we still want to hang out and be friends."

"Blaine?" Wes cut in softly, waving his hand lightly before his friend's face.

Blaine didn't even flinch. He wasn't seeing either of them. Instead there was a bulky footballer in front of him and a hand under his clothing. He could feel lips touching his neck and the firm grip of a hand pulling his hair.

He let out a soft whimper as the memory of the hand deepened into something more than a mere memory. Instead of a voice calling out and breaking the two boys apart, the hand slid around to his back and slid through the waistband on his Levi's.

"Blaine?" Wes raised his voice softly, taking in the other boy's wide, glassy eyes. "Blaine, snap out of it."

There was no reaction from the young former Warbler.

"He better forgive me for this," Wes mumbled to himself, bringing out a hand and swiftly sending it across Blaine's face.

Blaine's eyes slid into focus and he blinked heavily. His eyes looked startlingly at the two Warblers. Carefully a hand rose up to his face, pressing against his stinging cheek.

"What the hell was that?" David asked, peering nervously at his younger friend.

Blaine shook his head to try and shake off the images that still lingered in his mind, "What was what? Wes slapped me!"

"Because you were freaking out!" David added in a loud whisper. He reached out to touch Blaine's arm and watched as Blaine immediately flinched backward, pulling the arm out of his reach. "What's going on?" His eyes widened, then darkened sadly, "Blaine no."

Blaine's eyes widened as he shook his head vigorously, "No! No, that didn't happen." He forced a smile onto his face, "I'm fine."

"Yeah and Wes is a unicorn," David muttered sarcastically. "You're definitely not fine. You look around every few seconds like you expect someone to attack you; you're flinching and you just had what had to be some kind of flashback. You weren't even this bad when you first transferred to Dalton. I mean yeah you looked around a lot and tended to flinch when you were startled, but not like this."

"I'm fine," Blaine repeated stubbornly, "If you just brought me here to interrogate me, I'm going to leave."

"We're just worried about you," Wes said in a soft voice. "And we know you. We're your friends." He paused, "You know we saw on the news the charges that were listed. There were a few weren't there; sexual assault, assault, and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor?" Wes swallowed softly, "We thought you just saw stuff, but that last one, that was you, wasn't it?"

Blaine didn't look at his friends, just let out a bitter laugh as it bubbled up in his throat, "Unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. It's stupid, isn't it? It makes it sound like I wanted him to do that, since you know, they also use it to classify statutory rape."

"I'm sure that's not how it was meant when they let him plead down," Wes told him as he bit his lip. He peered at his friend cautiously, "Are you okay?"

"Like I said, I'm fine. It was nothing, nothing compared to what Kurt went through," he reminded them both firmly. "Can we just drop it now, please?"

Wes and David shared a look, before reluctantly nodding their heads.

* * *

><p>"Everybody stares at me," Kurt growled as he paced around in front of the therapist. "It drives me crazy. I mean, either it's these pitying looks, or some creepy kind of morbid curiosity or they're glaring at me like I'm some kind of liar."<p>

Dr. MacLeod motioned to the comfortable looking armchair across from her, gesturing for him to take a seat if he needed to, "These looks, they bother you?"

He rolled his eyes and flopped down into the seat, "If everywhere you went people were staring at you, wouldn't it bother you?"

"This isn't about me," she reminded him in a soft voice, "This is about you." She stopped for a moment and seemed to mull things over, "Which is worse?" She asked him after a moment, "Which stares seems worse to you?"

"I don't know," he shrugged his shoulders, "The pity I guess. I'm used to being glared at."

"So," she said quietly, "The pity is worse than people believing you lied about the rape?"

His eyes flitted downward, "I wouldn't put it that way. I just- I don't know," he shrugged his shoulders as he curled up on the seat, tucking his legs underneath him. "People look at me differently. I'm- I'm that kid. I'm not just Kurt Hummel, the gay kid, anymore. I'm the kid who was raped. I hate it. I just want to be me again."

The woman tilted her head to the side slightly, "So you feel like you're a different person now?"

He nodded his head, "I don't know who I am anymore."

She nodded sympathetically, "Why don't you tell me a bit about who you used to be then?"

His eyes flickered up to meet her, "I was a diva," he told her with a small smile. "I- I was confident in who I was, you know? I was out and proud and in love."

"You're not anymore?"

He froze slightly, "I still out and in love and stuff," he said in a soft voice, "I'm just… less confident and proud, I guess." He shook his head and tried to amend, "I'm confident that I'm gay and everything. I just- I don't have the same self-confidence, I guess. Maybe I'm a little less proud of being gay too. I just feel- like if I wasn't gay it wouldn't have happened."

"And would that be worth it?" She asked him in a gentle voice.

He frowned, "I don't know. If I wasn't gay I wouldn't have Blaine, so I guess not." He let out a growl of frustration, "I don't know. I'm just- so confused. I don't know how I feel. I just wish- I just wish it would all go away."

He paused and looked up at her nervously, "I thought about trying to do that once, making it all go away, but I couldn't go through with it." He swallowed thickly, "Finn found out and he got really pissed off then upset." He bit his lip, "He made me promise not to do it again and to go to him if I felt overwhelmed like that again. It was the first time he said he loved me."

"It sounds like your step-brother means a lot to you," she said with a small smile, "and that you mean a lot to him."

Kurt returned the smile weakly, "Yeah. Finn's great. I mean, there was a time when I wanted him to love me differently, but now- I wouldn't have it any other way." His nose twitched suddenly as he felt himself tearing up slightly, "I don't think I could have done it without him, telling people, going through the trial. Most of it was because he pushed me and simultaneous was there for me." He paused, "He was the one who told Blaine and I couldn't have done it without him either."

"So you have a good support system," she summed up succinctly, before changing the subject somewhat, "However I do want to delve into the emotions that made you consider taking your life. That's very serious, I hope you know Kurt. It would have hurt a lot of people."

He hung his head slightly, "I know."

"Let's talk about it," she prompted again when he was silent. "This is a place where you can talk about anything Kurt, so please, tell me about it."

He shrugged, "I just- I got so tempted to take all my antibiotics and just melt away."

"First of all," she told him firmly when he stopped, "I want to let you know that an overdose on antibiotics is anything but peaceful. You'd suffer severe stomach cramping, diarrhea and nausea and unless you were alone chances are you wouldn't succeed. I suppose you could have died of dehydration after some time; however your parents would have taken you to the ER once they saw the state you'd be in."

"Oh," he looked slightly taken aback. "I didn't know that."

"Second of all," she said in a softer voice, "I want you to tell me about the emotions Kurt, not just what happened."

"Yeah," he mumbled uncomfortably, "I don't like thinking about it. I just- I felt so alone. I know now that I'm not, but I felt so alone, and dirty and like I didn't even deserve to live anyways." He shrugged his shoulders, "I knew people cared about me, that's why I didn't do it. I just don't understand why they care about me."

The therapist frowned at him.

"I mean," he continued suddenly. "Finn's always getting shit for being my step-brother, my dad gets harassing phone calls and I nearly got Blaine raped too. I feel like I cause so much trouble and now I'm just- I'm not even whole anymore. I've been, like damaged. So even- even if they cared about me before, why should they now? I'm not even that person anymore." He shook his head, desperately blinking back the wetness in his eyes.

The doctor looked like she wanted to embrace him for a split second, but she didn't move. Instead she said in a quiet voice, "Maybe you need to figure out who you are now; in terms of the parts of you that have, in your opinion, changed. It's obvious that your family and friends think you're worth caring about, so you need to learn to see yourself through their eyes and accept those things about you that make you worth caring about."

"What if there aren't any?" He asked plaintively, his eyes rising up to meet hers, shining with sudden fear.

* * *

><p>Finn's thumbs tapped urgently on the buttons of his Xbox controller, shooting at whatever character appeared in front of his screen. He wasn't even really paying attention, but rather killing time while he waited for Kurt to get home from his therapy session.<p>

He definitely wanted to know how that went.

He frowned as his character's blood splattered in his screenshot and threw down the controller irritably. Video games, no matter how violent, didn't hold his attention that much anymore.

All he wanted to do was punch something (or rather someone) real.

That and he was still trying to figure out how to get Rachel to love him again. Coach Sylvester's sister's funeral, in conjunction with everything that had happened with Kurt lately, had made him realized that his feelings for Quinn were more obligatory than real. He'd thought he loved her because he thought he was supposed to.

Hearing about how the cheerleading coach felt tethered to her sister, made him realize how tethered he felt to Rachel while Quinn just made him feel tethered down.

The ordeal with Kurt was different. It made him realize how dangerous it was to do things because you felt you were supposed to, or you were afraid. Kurt had told him; straight out, that he'd kept the harassment a secret because he felt he had to. That he felt like there was no other option.

That and seeing how Blaine and Kurt interacted made him realize he wanted what those two boys had, real love. He just wanted it with a girl; the girl; Rachel.

His feelings for Rachel, his love for her, that was real.

He groaned. Life was way too confusing nowadays. He missed the days when things were easy, or at least easier.

The phone rang and he growled louder, his hand reaching for the cordless phone lying on his desk. He pressed talk and put it to his ear, "Hello?"

"Shit," the voice on the other end said; a voice he certainly couldn't forget.

"What the fuck?" Finn snapped into the phone, "How the hell are you calling here?"

"Traded some guy some cigarettes to use his cell phone," Karofsky told him in a soft voice. "Of course who knows how long he'll let me use it for." There was a pause, "Look, is Kurt home?"

"Like I'd let him talk to you," Finn snapped, "I'm hanging up now. Don't even think about calling here again."

"Don't! I want to apologize, not harass him or anything."

"Trust me," Finn growled, his hands tightening around the phone until his knuckles turned white, "He doesn't want to hear it. Just- serve your damn time and leave us alone!"

He hung up the phone, before setting it down shakily. Rising to his feet he grabbed the keys to the car Burt had bought and fixed up for him in gratitude for helping Kurt.

He desperately needed to punch something and he knew the gym at the school had a bag specifically for that purpose.

Afterwards he'd call Burt and tell him about the phone call. His step-father had been complaining about the amount of harassing phone calls about Kurt increasing and the constant calls from reporters. It really was about time they changed their phone number.

TBC...

A/N: I hope you liked the first chapter. Please leave me a review with your thoughts, suggestions or whatever. I've got a bit pre-written, but I'm open to make changes if I get any super awesome suggestions.


	2. Chapter 2: Uncomfortable Encounters

**Summary:** Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning:** Mentions of non-con and a dream sequence including some violence and non-con elements, also some swearing.

**A/N:** Well here's the next chapter. It may seem a little Blaine-centric at the moment, but I promise that there's more Kurt and Finn in chapter three, as well as once we get more into the story there will be some Rachel, Mercedes, Puck and Sam involved. Plus I plan for a little Azimio action at some point as well. I pretty much have the story all planned out, now just to finish writing it! I have notes in my file with comments like: Klaine scene here, Brotherly Furt here, DK is an asshole here and such. It's actually a little more detailed, but I can't give everything away.

Oh yeah and I made a twitter to go with my fanfic account. Username is Nicbearosaurus if you want to find me. :D

Please enjoy the chapter. There will be a new one up next Friday at the latest!

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><p><span>Chapter 2<span> – Uncomfortable Encounters

Blaine stepped into his aunt's house, _his house_; he amended with a tired sigh. He was certainly glad and he and Wes and David were on slightly better terms, but he still hated how they were trying to tell him how he felt.

"Hey Auntie," Blaine greeted his aunt as he carefully hung up his jacket on the metal coat rack that stood in the small porch and pulled off his shoes, setting them carefully on the mat.

"Hi Honey," she returned the greeting softly, "How was it with Wes and David?"

He frowned for a moment, before pasting on a smile as he stepped into the living room.

He was still getting used to the changes of scenery. His aunt's small house was so much homier that the large Victorian-style house his mother and father owned. Instead of paintings on the walls, there were pictures of him, her only nephew, adorning the walls, as well as a family picture of his aunt, his father and their parents when they were young.

Instead of the living room looking sterile and pristine, it looked worn and lived in and he loved it.

"It was good. They're not mad at me for leaving Dalton anymore, and I guess I forgive them for being less than accepting of my decision at first." He shrugged his shoulders, "So it's good."

She raised an eyebrow at him, showing she didn't really believe him, but didn't comment. After a moment her tanned face softened and she told him, "Your father called today. He says since he doesn't have to pay Dalton's tuition anymore that he's willing to pay for your sessions. He's also going to start depositing money in your bank account regularly as a kind of allowance."

He scoffed, remembering the phone call he'd accidentally overheard before he'd left for coffee, "Yeah, because money makes up for him abandoning me when I needed him the most."

"He loves you honey," Marina said with a sigh, wrapping her arms around her nephew in a hug and drawing him down to sit on the couch, "He really does, you know that? He just doesn't know how to show it."

Blaine relished the physical comfort for just a moment, before pulling away and wrinkling his nose as he stood and headed towards the kitchen, "He could have just- been there." He let out an irritated growl, "Even if he had just show up for the trial when I had to testify, that would have been something." He looked inside the fridge as he heard his aunt follow him and grabbed a can of Coca Cola.

"I don't know what to tell you," she said in a quiet voice. He saw her frown had deepened when he turned around, "I do need to talk to you about something though." She pointed towards the dining room table, motioning for him to sit down.

He sat obediently and opened his pop, watching as she took the seat opposite him, "What is it?"

"I'm concerned about you," she started after a moment. "Sometimes I hear you crying out in your sleep." There was a soft pause, "and you never talk about what happened."

"What else is there to say?" He asked, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of the sweet drink, "I wasn't even there when it happened. All I know is what Kurt told me Auntie and I talk about how I feel about it at length with Dr. Seguin already." He shrugged his shoulders and set the can down, "I don't want my whole life to revolve around it and neither does Kurt."

Marina Anderson leaned forward, pressing her face into her hands, before raising it up again to look at him, "I'm not talking about what happened to Kurt, Blaine. I'm talking about what happened to you. You're not dealing with it."

"Oh my God!" He exclaimed in frustration, rising from the chair, "Why won't anyone just leave it alone? It wasn't a big deal! It was nothing Auntie! Nothing!" He paced the dining room for a moment, before adding, "Why is everyone so - so - adamant on making it out to be worse than it was? I mean he pinned me against a wall, no big deal."

"Blaine!" She raised her voice authoritatively, "Sit down."

He sank angrily back into the chair, his eyes glaring at her darkly, forgetting about the coke on the table.

"It's not everyone who is adamant on making it out to be worse than it was," she told him, her voice firm, but soft, "It's you who is being adamant that it wasn't a big deal. I know you and Kurt haven't gotten around to the physical part of being in love; neither of you are ready for that plus you both respect that about each other. What that Karofsky boy did to you was sexual assault, whether you want to admit it or not. He threatened to rape you, touched you inappropriately without your consent and took away your first serious intimate encounter with another boy. That leaves scars Blaine. Not ones you can see, but it still leaves scars."

Blaine clenched his hands into fists tightly. "Okay, you've had your say. Can I go now?"

"No," she said firmly. "You cannot. You need to realize that whether or not it '_compares_' to what he did to Kurt, it still did something to you."

His mind tried to wrap around her words, but he couldn't. He shook his head, "I'm fine."

"Have you talked to Dr. Seguin about your nightmares?" She asked quietly, only slightly changing the subject.

He frowned tightly, "No. They're not important. They're just nightmares. I'm not a child. I can deal with them."

"That's where you're wrong," she took a deep breath; "You are a child. You're sixteen years old and you're taking on way more than you can handle on your own. I know you love Kurt and you don't want to take away from what he's been through, but admitting your suffering isn't going to do that."

He didn't say a word, just frowned at her.

"Alright," she said finally in a soft voice, "You can go now."

He rose from his chair, leaving his nearly full drink and heading to his room, and said "Thank you," stiffly as he walked. The moment he was in his bedroom he flopped down onto his unmade bed, sticking his feet under the chocolate colored comforter and pulling it up to his chin.

He remembered a time when he made his bed unfailingly. That time was over. It had ended only mere days after he moved in with his aunt. She never commented on it, but then again, she never knew he used to do different.

His eyes peered to the clock. How was it only seven o'clock and why was he so tired? It seemed like he was never fully awake anymore.

He curled up onto his side and stared at the wall, part of him wishing he could go home to his parents. He didn't know why, but for some reason he still missed them. Well, he missed the parents he used to have when they thought he was straight.

His dad used to take him fishing and talk to him, really talk to him. It wasn't like it was now, where every conversation was strained and awkward. They hadn't gone on a fishing trip in a long time.

His mother, she used to hug him. He missed that most of all.

It was almost like they were afraid of him sometimes.

He blinked back tears and wrinkled his noise as the familiar tightness of his sinuses before a crying jag became apparent.

He loved his aunt, he did. She treated him the same after he came out as before, but she wasn't his mother. As much as he wished his mother was like her, or that she was his mother, she still wasn't. It just wasn't the same.

He let his eyes flutter closed. If he slept he wouldn't cry.

* * *

><p>"Hello?" Kurt answered his cell phone uncertainly, recognizing the number as Blaine's new home phone number. It was just kind of weird because Blaine always, <em>always <em>called on his cell phone.

"Kurt," a decidedly feminine voice answered, "This is Marina Anderson, Blaine's aunt."

"Oh, right," he frowned in concern, "Is Blaine okay?"

There was a long sigh on the other end of the phone, "That's actually why I'm calling you Kurt." There was a short pause, "I'm worried about Blaine and honestly, I don't know what to do. I don't want to put anything else on your plate right now, because I know you're going through a really tough time, but I don't know who else he'll listen to."

Kurt's frowned deepened and he swallowed, "What's wrong with him?"

"He refuses to accept that he's hurting," the woman told him, her tone sounding somewhat desperate. "I've tried talking to him myself, but he won't listen to me. I mean, he accepts that he's hurting on your behalf, but he won't accept that he's suffering his own pain too."

"W-what do you mean?" He asked, licking his lips. "What kind of pain?"

"Oh Kurt," she sighed, "He's been having nightmares every night. He went out to see Wes and David today and they called me in concern, saying Blaine had some sort of flashback when he was out for coffee with them. He won't talk about it. All he ever says is he's fine and it doesn't compare; that it was nothing."

"I still don't understand," Kurt murmured, although he understood perfectly. He remembered how upset Blaine had been after Karofsky had attacked and threatened him. He just hadn't thought of it since. He'd been too busy dealing with the trial and having to testify to even give it a thought. His heart clenched; had he really been that _selfish_? Had he leaned on Blaine so heavily, without letting the other boy lean back?

"When that boy attacked him," Marina said in a quiet tone, "It really affected him. He can't admit how much it scarred him Kurt and I'm afraid of what will happen if he doesn't come to terms with it. I just wanted to ask you if you could remind him that it's okay to admit that it hurt. He's so afraid that admitting it will take away importance from what happened to you. You need to remind him that it won't."

"I will," Kurt promised her softly. "I'll do whatever it takes."

"Kurt," she cautioned softly. "I want you to help him, but don't do to yourself what he's doing either, okay?"

"Okay," he replied after a moment, "I won't." He paused for a long time, "Would you mind I came over?"

"Please."

* * *

><p><em>"Please," he begged, pushing desperately against the bigger boy. "Please don't touch me. St-stop."<em>

_"Don't cry Blainey-boy," Karofsky whispered, his hot breath making him wrinkle his nose in disgust. "You know this is what you really want. All little fags want a good fucking. Isn't that right?"_

_"No! No," he pleaded, feeling the warm hand slip underneath his shirt and tugging lightly at the hair sprinkled across his stomach. "Stop." A fog seemed to slip into the hallways, paralyzing him the moment it touched his skin._

_"I can't do that Blainey-boy," Karofsky told him in a mockingly gentle voice, this time slipping his hand downward into his jean and gripping him there. The squeeze felt like it should be painful through the cloudyness and he gasped out despite that everything seemed so disconnected, tears sliding down his face helplessly. "You should have kept your mouth shut Blainey."_

_"I'm sorry," he whispered, apologizing over and over again, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."_

_"Sorry just ain't good enough," was his answer as the hand gripped tighter and jerked hard. He screamed out loud. _

_"Help me!" He screamed into the emptiness as the halls of the school seemed to fall away into cloudy blackness, but no one was there to hear him. No one was there to help him. "Help me! God, somebody please help me." _

_"No one's going to help you," Karofsky murmured, kissing his unwilling lips as he gave another painful jerk. The hand left him, and snatched his pants downward, before slamming him around. "It's just me and you now."_

_"No!" He braced himself for the unbearable pain._

Blaine's eyes snapped open, hearing the "No!" leave his lips before he even realized it. His whole body trembled and he realized suddenly that his cheeks were wet.

"Blaine?" His head jerked upward and he spotted Kurt as the other boy ran into the room.

"Kurt?" He whispered, wiping his cheeks in surprise and sitting up in his bed. His eyes immediately checked his digital clock. It was only seven-thirty. "What are you doing here?"

"I can't come visit my boyfriend?" Kurt asked, his eyes filled with concern. He licked his lips softly and frowned, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Blaine assured him, faking a smile, "It was just a bad dream, promise."

"Looks like it was a really bad one," Kurt commented, sitting down on the bed and getting under the covers with his boyfriend. He grasped his hand tightly. "You yelled pretty loudly and I can tell you were crying." Quietly he leaned against Blaine and looked up at him, "Want to tell me about it?"

Blaine shook his head, still faking a soft smile, "No, it's alright."

Kurt frowned at him, "I want you to tell me about it."

Blaine ground his teeth together as he yanked his hand away, asking tightly, "She called you, didn't she?"

"Is it so bad that she did?" Kurt asked him in a soft voice, his eyes starting to shine slightly at Blaine's rough words, "She loves you Blaine. She's worried about you. I'm worried about you too."

"Exactly!" Blaine exclaimed in frustration. "You're not supposed to be worrying about me. You're supposed to be worrying about you. You don't need this right now."

"What I need," Kurt's voice got tight, "is for my boyfriend to let me be there for him. It's not fair Blaine. It's not fair that you get to be there for me and help me and I can't do the same for you. Do you know how hard that is for me? I feel like such a Goddamn burden, to everyone. I know you're hurting too, so do me a favor and let me help you."

"No," Blaine shook his head softly, "Kurt, it just- it doesn't compare. Don't worry about me, okay?"

Kurt bit down on his lip hard and tried again, "Blaine, please. Let me do something that makes me feel like I'm worthwhile. Let me listen. Please, just tell me about your nightmare, okay?"

Blaine sank down slightly in the bed. When Kurt begged like that, sounding so sad and hurt, he just couldn't deny him. "Okay, fine, but if I do this, you have to talk to me too. You can't keep brushing me off about it, okay?"

Kurt frowned deeply, before muttering a soft, "fine."

He swallowed thickly. "It's like this. I'm at McKinley and he- he's touching me and I'm begging him to stop. I'm screaming for someone to help me, but no one comes, then I wake up. Alright?"

"Blaine," he let out the name in a whisper, snaking his arms tightly around Blaine's waist, "I'm sorry."

"No," Blaine told him, swallowing thickly, "Don't be. It was only a dream after all. You- you had to live it."

"What aren't you telling me," Kurt asked after a minute, looking carefully into his eyes.

Blaine sighed and knew better than to lie when Kurt was looking at him like that, "Sometimes I don't wake up right away, okay? Sometimes, in the nightmares, he rapes me." He shook his head, "but like I said. It's just a dream. Eventually I always wake up. You don't get that."

"I get those dreams too," Kurt admitted in a soft voice, trying to keep up his side of the bargain. "I dream about what happened- or sometimes I dream about what he could have done to you-" he paused quietly, biting down on his lip, "You may not think what happened to you was a big deal, but it was. It was because in that moment, when he had you there, you didn't think he was going to stop, did you?"

Blaine looked down, "Maybe." He paused, before being more truthful, "He wouldn't have stopped Kurt. I know that. I know how lucky I was."

Kurt's tongue flitted over his lips nervously, remembering just how he'd felt during the harassment and the moments leading up to the brutal attack. Maybe Blaine hadn't been broken in the same way he had, but he remembered the terror that had been his constant companion in the days leading up. "You really think you were lucky?"

"Don't you?" Blaine asked thickly after a short pause. "Don't you wish it had stopped after a few uncomfortable encounters?"

"No Blaine," Kurt leaned away from the other boy, looking at him with a pained expression, "Maybe it would have been better than what happened in the end, but what I really wish for… is that none of it had happened at all." He shook his head vigorously for a moment, as if it would clear his head, "Is that what you call it, an uncomfortable encounter?"

Kurt let out a bitter sounding laugh despite the watery shining in his eyes, "I don't know about you Blaine, but it was more than uncomfortable for me, even _before_ he raped me. It was Goddamn terrifying."

"I never meant it like that-"

Kurt shook his head, "It doesn't matter how you meant it Blaine. You're so scared of admitting to anyone, let alone yourself that what happened to you _hurt._ And your excuse is so stupid." The taller boy's voice was shaking now as he pulled himself up from the bed. "You think that admitting it will detract from what happened to me? No Blaine, that's not what it would do. That's what you're doing _now_." Kurt took in a few heavy breaths, blinking to try to keep his emotions at bay. "_Uncomfortable encounters?"_

"Kurt I-"

Kurt shook his head, stopping the other boy. "I should go. This was a bad idea."

* * *

><p>AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. I also hope that you leave me a nice little review. I just got a new cat and found out reviews make Patches happy! So... make my kitty happy please :D.


	3. Chapter 3: Make You Understand

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning: **I'm not sure if there really needs to be one. There are mild allusions to non-con in this chapter and some mild cursing, but that's about all for this chapter.

**A/N**: There are a few things I realized I should have clarified at the beginning of the story. All events from 'Rumours' on happened, just with these events going on in the background. Fallout starts during the end of the New York episode with the minor changes that Blaine went with them to New York, the coffee thing between Kurt and Blaine didn't happen and Sam and Mercedes didn't get together, though I might be convinced to write them in. The rest should be explained within the story.

Thanks for your patience and for all the lovely reviews I've been getting. Reviews are the only payment I get for fanfiction (other than my own enjoyment), but each one makes writing worth it.

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><p><span>Chapter 3<span>: Make You Understand

"Dad," Finn said in a quiet voice, his eyes looking around the living room as he sank into the couch on the opposite end of his (technically step-)father. "Is Kurt home?"

"No," Burt informed him after a moment, "He went to Blaine's. Apparently Blaine's aunt is worried about how Blaine is dealing with everything."

"Oh," Finn murmured, then swallowed slightly, "Dad, I have something I have to tell you. You- well you're not going to like it." He shifted uncomfortable, "I got a phone call today. It- um- was for Kurt." He looked away for a moment, "I think we need to change our phone number."

Burt pressed the off button on the remote and looked over at Finn carefully, "Why? What did they say?"

"It's not what they said exactly," Finn explained in a nervous voice. He definitely didn't want to be the messenger, "It's who it was. Dad, it was Karofsky. Some-somehow he got his hands on a cell phone and called us from prison."

Burt's face was ashen, "What?"

"Please don't kill the messenger," Finn said in a quiet voice.

"I'm calling the police right now," Burt growled, not acknowledging that Finn had said anything else, "Then I'm calling that so called prison. This is bullshit. He's not supposed to be able to screw with our family anymore."

Finn let out a soft sigh of relief and rubbed at his scuffed knuckles.

Burt's eyes narrowed at the movement, and he looked at Finn sternly, "Where were you just now?"

"Um… I was nowhere?" He tried weakly, noticing that Burt had already taken in the rough, reddened skin on his knuckles. Burt just scowled at him and he added more truthfully, "At the school." Burt simply raised an eyebrow and he continued morosely, "In the gym, with the punching bag."

"Finn," Burt growled roughly, "What part of 'taking it easy' don't you understand? You're supposed to be resting for at least a few more weeks, not using the Goddamn punching bags at the school. It was bad enough when you insisted to sing for Nationals. If you don't take care of yourself your ribs are never going to heal properly."

"You sound like Kurt and besides, they're almost better," Finn mumbled, frowning. He was not about to admit that his ribs did kind of ache at the moment. The doctor had been lecturing him each time he went back for a check-up about how he kept exacerbating his injury. He wasn't sure what exacerbating meant exactly, but Kurt had assured him it was bad and keeping him from healing quickly.

Burt ran a hand tiredly over his head, "Please, Finn, for your mother and my sakes' take it easy, alright? We love you and we just want you to get better, okay, you and Kurt."

His shoulders slumped downward and the defiance drained from him easily, "I know Dad, I'm sorry. I just- I get so angry and I just want to throw shit and-" he paused, screwing his face up in frustration, "I just need to get it out."

"That's why you talk to Dr. MacLeod," Burt reminded him and then, at the uncomfortable look that came over Finn's face, he asked seriously, "You do talk to her right? You don't just go in and sit there silently? You do know that bottling it up will just make it worse?"

"I thought she wasn't allowed to talk about what goes on in there," Finn growled, suddenly angry again, his fists tensing. "She said she wasn't allowed."

"She didn't say anything," Burt told him in a resigned voice, "It was just a guess." He paused and sank into the couch, "Finn, if you want the anger to go away, you're going to have to talk about it."

"No," the defiance was back and Finn stared at Burt with a scowl. "Look maybe that'll work for Kurt and Blaine, but they actually got hurt. I don't mean like this," he gestured to his ribs, "I mean like really hurt. The stuff they went through was like sexual and all that, so I get why they have to talk to therapists and stuff, but seriously I didn't get hurt like that. I don't need a freaking therapist because I'm not hurting Dad, I'm just angry."

"Yeah," Burt tried to keep his voice calm, but his patience was waning with the stubborn boy, "You're angry because you're hurt, Finn. You're hurting."

"Don't tell me how I feel _Burt_," Finn snapped back at him, putting particular emphasis on the older man's name, before storming off to his room.

* * *

><p>"Hey Dude," Finn commented softly when his brother knocked on his door quietly a few times with two mugs in his hands, "That milk?"<p>

"Yes, and don't call me dude," Kurt grumbled at him as he handed over one of the warm mugs. "You know I hate it when you do that."

Finn forced a small smile, "I know. That's why I do it." He sipped at his milk before setting it down on his computer desk. "So I'm guessing by the milk you want to talk about something?"

Kurt smiled weakly, "Am I that predicable?"

"Dude," Finn said purposefully, "I kinda know it's the only reason you bring me milk and stuff." He tilted his head a little and joked quietly, "You know you should start bringing cookies down too. Milk's not the same without cookies."

"Oh hardy ha ha," Kurt rolled his head as he sank down into a sitting position on his brother's bed.

"What _did_ you want to talk about anyway?" Finn asked, his hand still wrapped around the mug on his desk. "I actually kind of wanted to hear about how your therapy thingy went."

Kurt shrugged his shoulders before saying quietly, "It was okay I guess. I don't know." He gave a sideways frown, "She just makes me talk about how I feel and stuff like that." He paused for a moment, "I kind of like it."

"Did Dad put you up to this?" Finn asked immediately, his hand tightening his grip on the mug.

Kurt looked at him oddly, "Umm, no?" He bit down on his lip softly and averted his eyes to the floor, "That's just how it is. Should I – not like it or something?"

"No," Finn loosened his hold on the mug and drew his hand away from it. "It's not like that or anything. We just argued that's all."

"You and Dad?"

"Yup," Finn frowned softly. "Let's not talk about that though, okay?" His eyes searched around the room for a moment, "How was your visit with Blaine?"

Kurt's lips tightened into a thin line, "Lovely," he muttered sarcastically. He took in a quiet breath, "We also argued." He took in an even deeper breath this time, "He keeps hiding everything and then- then he referred to how I was harassed, before- before- _it_ happened, as 'uncomfortable encounters'."

If he had been holding the mug he probably would have dropped it, or thrown it. He wasn't sure which. He was still tempted to send the cup flying at the wall, but he forced his hand to stay still. The last thing he wanted was to frighten his brother. He couldn't quite stop, however, that his face was starting to heat up angrily, "He did what?"

Kurt looked up at his step-brother, "I don't know. He says he's lucky and he's fine, because that's all it was for him, but he's lying, Finn. I know he is. People who are fine- they don't-" he stopped, unwilling to tell his brother about Blaine's nightmares.

It would be different if they were his, but Kurt wouldn't betray Blaine's confidence.

Finn's frown grew, confusion slipping between the anger churning inside him, "Wait? Are you worried or pissed?"

"I don't know, both," Kurt murmured in a soft voice. "It's just _uncomfortable encounters?_"

Finn let his anger simmer down, reminding himself purposefully of what he'd walked in on in the McKinley halls weeks ago and how shaken the former Warbler had been at that moment. He took in a deep breath, speaking carefully, "I'm sure that's not how he meant it Kurt."

"I know," Kurt's voice was soft as he took a sip from his own mug that was cradled carefully in both of his hands. "It's just- after so many people thinking that I made it all up, hearing some of it being called nothing more than an uncomfortable encounter hurt." He shook his head as the mug in his hands started to shake slightly, "I don't get why nobody understands."

"I don't know Kurt," Finn shrugged his shoulders awkwardly. "None of us really know what we're doing, you know? Maybe you ought to give him in the benefit of the doubt or something. I mean, he's probably just doing his best right? No one really _knows_ how to deal with this stuff."

"I miss our old lady chats," Kurt muttered suddenly, hiding his face by taking another sip of his milk.

For once Finn didn't comment on Kurt's choice of calling them 'lady chats' and tilted his head softly to one side, "What do you mean?"

"You know, the ones from _before_," Kurt mumbled, looking up from the mug.

"I miss that too, what it was like before I mean," Finn told him as he stood up and moved to sit beside his brother. "But- we can't go back to before anymore."

"I know. It just," he paused before letting out inelegantly, "sucks." He rubbed his fingers over the bridge of his nose, pinching it slightly before saying hoarsely, "I think you might be right about giving Blaine the benefit of the doubt. I should go talk to him."

"Just explain it to him," Finn suggested, licking his lips nervously, "He probably doesn't, like, know how much it hurt you."

"Yeah."

"You need a hug?" Finn asked after a moment when Kurt didn't actually move from his spot sitting on the bed.

Kurt leaned into his brother and that was all the answer Finn needed.

* * *

><p>"Oh," Kurt said awkwardly when he opened the door of his house to find his boyfriend standing there with a fist raised to knock on the door. He managed a small smile, "I was just leaving to come see you. Do you want to come in?"<p>

"Yeah," Blaine let out in a soft whisper. He followed Kurt into the living room and sat down on the couch next to the other boy, placing a gentle hand on his knee. "I came to apologize."

Kurt's smile grew only slightly, still somewhat grimacing. "So did I; kind of. I may have overreacted slightly. I-I should have at least explained-"

Blaine squeezed his knee gently and cut him off, "No Kurt. You shouldn't have to explain. The burden's not on you to make people understand. Hell, I should understand better than most people. It was way more than just an uncomfortable encounter. I never should have said it that way. I'm sorry Kurt. I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted to – I don't know, help you?"

"If you really want to help me," Kurt put a hand over the one Blaine had on his knee, "Then stop pretending to be fine. No one expects you to be fine."

Blaine pursed his lips, "My dad does."

Kurt's shoulders slumped, "What do you mean? I thought you hadn't talked to him?"

"I haven't," Blaine said in a soft voice. "That's the point. I overheard him on the phone talking to my aunt." His eyes got uncharacteristically shiny, "I picked up the phone by accident and just… well… listened."

Kurt just looked at him and Blaine started to relay the events.

_The home phone was ringing and Blaine dived for it when he saw the name on the caller ID. Someone was calling from home. There was a chance, however slim, that maybe one of his parents wanted to talk to him; missed him._

_He pressed the phone to his ear as he heard his aunt's voice. "Hello?"_

_Blaine swallowed the thick lump in his throat as he heard his father's deep voice on the other end of the phone. "Marina, its Nate."_

"_Nate," he could hear the sarcasm in his aunt's voice as she greeted her half-brother, "To what great honor do I have you calling?"_

"_Blaine's therapy things," his father growled in a deep voice, "Do you really expect me to pay for it?"_

"_Considering you're off the hook for his tuition, you'd better," his aunt growled at his father. "I'm not rich Nate. I don't have the money for that. I barely have the money to support the both of us. You're over there swimming it and you can't even fork over enough so your son can talk to someone?"_

"_The boy's fine," he heard his father snapped. "What happened? Some boy pinned him or something? He's had worse. He's been beaten up and didn't need therapy. He's a man. He'll deal with it fine if he just man's up a little."_

_"Some boy didn't just pin your son Nathan," he could almost hear his aunt scowl into the phone. "He was sexually harassed- assaulted."_

_"Wasn't it just a hickey?" His father had asked wryly. "The boy likes boys Marina-"_

_"It was attempted rape. The other boy even admitted-"_

_"But he wasn't, was he?" His father asked rhetorically, sounding unimpressed with the knowledge, "Look Marina. Blaine will be fine. He just needs to-"_

_"Do not tell me he needs to man up! He's just a boy for God's sake," His aunt growled angrily, "Nate if you don't pay for Blaine's sessions, start depositing some money into his account weekly, as well as set up a sizeable college fund for him, then so help me I swear I'll tell your dear little wife about-"_

_He carefully placed the phone down with wide eyes, unable to listen to anymore as he felt his heart start to clench in his chest._

Kurt stared at Blaine, and reached up a hand to thumb away the singular tear on the other boy's cheek. "Blaine," he whispered with his mouth slack with shock, "I-I'm sorry."

Blaine shook his head, pushing Kurt's hand away gently. "You don't have to be sorry. My dad's right. I-I just need to man up. I'll be fine."

"No," Kurt stopped him with a soft shake of his head, "Your father's the one who needs to man up, not you." He leaned against his boyfriend and carefully slipped his hand under Blaine's, feeling the small callouses on his fingers, before giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I love you," Blaine murmured as he rested his head on Kurt's shoulder. "Never leave me."

"Never," Kurt promised softly, letting his head drop on top of Blaine's, "but I expect the same from you."

"Easiest promise I ever made," he whispered, feeling his chest tighten slightly, although not with fear or anxiety. He was just overwhelmed by the perfection, at least to him, of the boy pressed against him. He couldn't understand how a boy so beautiful and yet hurting so much, always knew how to make him feel unbreakable.

"Hey Blaine," he heard the perfect boy say quietly.

"Yeah."

"I love you too."

TBC...

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><p>AN: Well friends, I'm moving to a new city on Monday! I really hope to get a new chapter up on time this next week, but I might not have internet access right away. I will try my best! If Worst comes to worst I will go to the university on Friday or Saturday and use the wi-fi in the library. Basically the worst case scenario is you'll have to wait one extra day. I hope that's okay!

Please leave a review!

P.S. Patches says thanks for all the reviews on the previous chapter as well. They really made her a happy kitty- mostly because I played with her a lot. :)


	4. Chapter 4: Prison Blues

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning**: Some swearing and mentions of non-con.

**A/N**: I have internet so you get to get this chapter on time! Yay! My move went great by the way, thanks to all the people who wished me well. Well anyways here's your next chapter, enjoy!

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><p><span>Chapter 4<span> – Prison Blues

Azimio stepped awkwardly into the visitation room and sat down at the small rounded table across from his former best friend. "Hey man." He looked around the room nervously for a moment, "Um, how are things?"

"How do you think?" Dave growled darkly as he picked a little at the prison suit he was wearing. It was simple blue jeans with a plain blue button shirt with a number sewn over one side of his chest. "I'm in fucking prison Az."

Azimio frowned deeply, "Yeah I know."

"Look man, why are you even here?"

"I wanted to hear it from you I guess," Azimio shrugged his shoulders awkwardly as he looked his friend in the eyes. "I know you pled guilty and all, but I wanted to hear you say it. Did you actually rape Hummel?"

Karofsky scoffed, "I only pled guilty 'cause they said I had to." He let out an unintelligible growl, before adding, "All Hummel has to do is cry a little and make up some sob story and suddenly they want to throw me in jail and man- if I didn't take their deal or whatever I could've spent like over ten years here or something."

Azimio swallowed, a million different thoughts running through his head as he sat across from the boy he once he thought he knew. It was weird to see his childhood friend's green eyes so cold and angry. "Does that mean you're actually gay?"

Dave shrugged at him, "I don't know. I slept with the resident fag, so I guess so. Maybe he turned me. Fuck Az, I don't know." He looked both ways before lowering his voice to a whisper, "Dude, can you get me some cigarettes or something next time?"

"Cigarettes? Next time?" Azimio looked at David as if he were a total stranger, "Um I don't know why you think I'm coming back and since when do you smoke?"

"Just listen to me for a minute Az," David lowered his voice even quieter, "I want to make Hummel pay, but I need help to do that. He put me in Goddamn prison. Does that sound fair to you? Look, I need something to like trade for shit. I managed to get my hands on a cell phone for a little bit. I called Hudson and pretended to be sorry and shit: hilarious. But as much fun as that was, I have some bigger plans now."

Azimio pushed his chair back. "You really did rape him, didn't you?" He stood from his chair and his eyes darkened considerably. "Dude I could deal if you were gay, but you fucking raped that kid, didn't you?"

Dave's face morphed from its earlier malicious glee to a dark, cold, angry expression. "I didn't rape him Az. Have you taken a look at the fag lately? He's just screaming for it. Can you really blame me for giving him what he wanted?"

The African American boy placed a hand over his mouth and swallowed the bile inside it. "I'm leaving Dave- and- and I'm not coming back. I came to ask you a question and I guess- I guess I got my answer. Leave Hummel alone. It's obvious he's dealt with enough of you to last a lifetime."

He turned around and walked away quickly; ignoring David's angry scream of "Fuck you Az. Get back here!"

He took a deep shuddering breath. He'd never been so wrong about someone.

_Oh God_, he thought to himself as he walked in a daze through the security and collected his belongings. _If I was his friend… what does that say about me?_

"Fuck," he muttered aloud, not talking to anyone in particular.

Well at least Karofsky wouldn't be getting the help he so desperately wanted. Azimio couldn't imagine anyone else wanting to visit him in that place. Besides, he was supposed to be Dave's best friend, at least before he'd found out the horrific truth. If he didn't help him, he couldn't see why anyone else would.

* * *

><p>Kurt clutched Blaine's hand tightly as they walked down the hallway. There was no more Bully Whips club anymore. Santana had disbanded the club the moment she'd found out what Karofsky had done. She'd said she wasn't about to let anyone else hide behind the red jacket and beret and hurt someone because of it.<p>

Instead bullying went unchecked, except for him and Blaine. They didn't have or need the Bully Whips; instead they had their own private secret service which was both nice and incredibly annoying at the same time.

"Slut," Kurt flinched momentarily, but the speaker, a jock whose name was Turner or something like that was soon shoved harshly away from them.

"Idiot," Puck muttered, again falling into step just behind the other two boys. He was sure to glare at anyone who even looked at the couple for too long, "You alright, Hummel?"

"It was a word Puck," Kurt reminded him, his voice not betraying how fast his heart was beating, "A mean word, but still just a word."

"Hey Hummel," a different voice cut in and Kurt stopped in his tracks at the sight of the letterman jacket. He swallowed thickly and looked up at the boy standing in front of him, "I need to talk to you."

"I don't think Hummel here wants to talk to you," Puck broke in, pushing Kurt behind him slightly.

The beating of Kurt's heart increased slightly and he squeezed Blaine's hand more tightly before saying softy, "What do you want Azimio?"

The bigger boy shrugged and looked at the ground, before saying in a soft voice, "I'm sorry- for what Dav- Karofsky did. You- no one deserves that, okay? That's all I wanted to say." He turned on his heel and sped away, leaving the other three boys slightly stunned.

"Did that just really happen?" Blaine asked after a moment, blinking stupidly, "Cause I'm pretty sure he gave me my first slushy and was in denial about the whole thing."

"Who cares," Puck muttered, waiting impatiently for the other two boys to get moving again, "It's just one less person to worry about. C'mon, let's get moving. You're like sitting ducks just standing around in the hallway."

* * *

><p>"You and me are going shopping tonight, no arguments," Mercedes announced as she sat down beside Kurt during the last Glee rehearsal of the year with a smile. "Your boy can come if he must, but you and I are shopping, alright?"<p>

Kurt managed a smile at her authoritative tone, "I have an appointment tonight 'Cedes, I can't."

"Don't lie to me White boy," Mercedes' face turned downward in a hurt frown, "I know your appointment was yesterday, so don't give me that."

She didn't notice Kurt's fists clenching and tightening. She barely even took Blaine's suddenly protective, somewhat angry look into consideration.

"I have an appointment tonight Mercedes," he repeated, his voice shaking slightly. "I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Why are you lying to me?" She asked, her voice sounding slightly pained as it rose slightly, although she was careful not to yell or get too loud. As much as she was getting pissed at her friend, she didn't want to hurt or scare him; especially after what he'd been through.

"He's not lying to you," Blaine told her tightly, speaking for Kurt this time.

"Oh yes he is-"

"I'm not going to talk to Dr. MacLeod," Kurt spoke up, shooting a look between Blaine and Mercedes. "I have a doctor's appointment Mercedes, with a medical doctor. See I have to make sure Karofsky didn't give me AIDS or something. Thanks for making me say it out loud."

"Kurt-"

"Don't," he raised up a hand. Then he turned to Blaine, "I love you Blaine, but you don't have to fight all my battles for me, okay?" His voice started to shake slightly as he continued, getting steadily louder. "I just want people to treat me normally. I just want to be normal!" He wasn't just talking to his boyfriend anymore; his yells were filling up the choir room.

"Kurt!" Mr. Schue's voice stopped him and Kurt whipped around to face his teacher. "Can I see you out in the hall for a moment?"

He nodded stiffly, not looking back at either Blaine or Mercedes as he carefully picked his way around the other glee members' chairs and stepped out into the hallway after Mr. Schuester. He faced the teacher, his hands crossed over his chest defiantly.

Mr. Schuester frowned. Maybe Kurt thought he was being defiant, but it was fairly obvious that the gesture was more protective than anything. "Kurt, are you doing okay?"

Kurt looked up, "I'm fine Mr. Schue. I'm just tired of everyone acting like I'm going to break any second."

"They're your friends. They're worried about you," the Spanish teacher reminded him in a quiet voice. "We're all worried about you."

Kurt squeezed his arms tighter, "You shouldn't. I mean, I know everyone thinks they have to worry about me, but honestly, I'm fine. I'll be fine. I just need to- work through things."

"You're pushing people away Kurt and they're starting to notice-"

"They don't understand," his voice was no more than a whisper. "They say they want to help, but they can't. They just don't understand. Nobody understands." He shook his head, "How could they? Why would they want to?"

"Kurt," the teacher looked concerned and uncertain, "I don't think they need to understand. They can still be there for you, if you let them."

"I just feel-" he wrapped his arms around him, hugging himself in a way that could never be mistaken for anything else but a protective, desperate measure at holding himself together. "It's like I screwed everything up. Everyone's worrying and I- I don't want to worry anyone. I- I don't want to be a problem, or a burden."

"Kurt," Mr. Schue wasn't sure what else to say but the student's name. He swallowed slightly, "You're not a burden. I know the glee club doesn't think you're a burden and you're parents would never think you a burden. Everyone here cares about you; that's why they worry Kurt. There's nothing you can do to stop that." He paused for a moment, wanting to put a hand on the boy's arm but refraining, "You're worth caring about, you do know that, right Kurt?"

He definitely didn't expect the boy to launch himself into his arms, but he carefully wrapped his arms around Kurt's shoulders for a moment.

"Kurt," he murmured after a short moment, "I can't help but noticing you're struggling. I want you to know, if you ever need something that you can come to me, alright?"

Kurt pulled himself quickly out of the hug, sniffling and his face somewhat red in embarrassment, "Thanks Mr. Schue and um… sorry for jumping you like that."

"Don't be sorry," the teacher told him in a gentle voice, "Just remember that in that room right there, is a group of people who sincerely care about you. They want to get you through this. We all do and I know for a fact that not a single person in that room thinks you're a burden, okay?"

He nodded his head carefully before stepping back into the choir room. All eyes were on him, but none of them seemed to be angry. He let out a soft sigh, thankful for that one piece of relief. He sat gingerly next to Blaine, taking his hand before he turned to Mercedes, "Maybe we could go shopping tomorrow instead?" He asked in a hoarse, apologetic voice.

Mercedes smiled at him, her eyes lighting up softly. "Sounds great," she paused for a moment, "Can it be just me and you? I miss you boo."

"Yeah," he gave her a smile that didn't seemed so forced as the ones he usually gave as of late. "Just you and I would be nice." He licked his lips nervously before he added, "I missed you too 'Cedes."

* * *

><p>Finn leaned against the locker nervously, tapping his foot to non-existent music as he waited for the short brunette to make her way to her locker. He let a small smile find his face when she bounced over to her locker with a smile on her face, "Hey Rach."<p>

"Hey Finn," her smile softened slightly when her eyes found him, "How are you feeling?" Her eyes were focused on his chest, before she looked back up at him.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Its fine," he lied. Truthfully his ribs still kind of hurt a little, but they were still way better than they used to be. "Um, look Rachel. I just wanted to know- um- if you wanted to like go to BreadstiX or something sometime."

He smiled at the way her eyes got really big and soft looking at the invitation, "That'd be nice Finn." She opened her locker before looking back at him, "When were you thinking?"

"Are you busy tonight?" He asked, swallowing the nervous lump in his throat.

"No," her voice wavered slightly as she smiled at him, "I'm not busy at all."

"Alright," he leaned down and kissed her cheek before she could react, "I'll pick you up at eight."

He smiled to himself as he turned quickly and walked away, feeling her eyes burning into his back. He'd done it; he'd finally done it. Sure they'd had their kiss in the library, but he knew it was going to take more than that to prove to her how right they were together; even if it was just for one more year.

* * *

><p>"Umm…" Finn chewed his lip softly as he sat down at the kitchen table, watching as his step-father put together a sandwich. "Dad, can I talk to you about something?"<p>

"Dad is it now?" Burt asked, only looking at Finn for a second before putting some tomatoes on the sandwich and spreading some mayonnaise on the opposite slice of bread. There was a pause, "Don't tell Kurt or your Mom about the mayo."

"I won't," Finn said softly, before trying carefully, "Dad?"

Burt sat down across from his step-son setting the sandwich down on a small plate. "What is it Finn?"

"About yesterday," Finn looked down at his hands for a second, "I'm sorry. I was- um out of line. I shouldn't have been so rude, or umm, stormed off like I did. And, I shouldn't have called you Burt- because you're my dad now and I can't take that back."

Burt took a bite of his sandwich as Finn spoke, chewing thoughtfully. He swallowed and looked at his step-son, "You know Finn that did hurt me. I thought that we'd become a real family, and you threw it back in my face."

Finn lowered his head miserably, "I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. You are my dad."

"Have you thought any more about actually talking to Dr. MacLeod?" Burt asked after a moment.

Finn chewed on his lip a little harder, "I don't know Dad. I just don't want to. How is talking about it going to make my any less pissed off? I mean- it's like this physical thing I get. It feels like my body's swelling and I just want to hit something. How is talking about it supposed to get rid of that?"

Burt let out a quiet sigh, "You're holding it all in until you start to explode. Maybe letting out some of those emotions in a less violent way will make it easier to control your temper? Ever thought of that?"

He looked down again, "Well no."

Burt rubbed his eyes tiredly, "Tell you what. Just talk to Dr. MacLeod. You don't have to talk about what happened, or how angry you are; just talk to her, okay? Can you do that at least?"

"How's that supposed to help?"

Burt pinched the bridge of his nose, "Will you just do it Finn, for me? You do that and the whole 'Burt' thing will be completely forgiven, okay?"

Finn mulled it over. It seemed like a good deal. He didn't exactly have to talk about his feelings with the doctor (he knew he said it was manly to cry sometimes, but he still didn't like talking about his feelings with some stranger), so that was okay, and he did want Burt to forgive him. He frowned then said in a resigned voice, "Okay, I'll talk to her."

Burt let out a smile and took another bite of his sandwich.

Finn frowned again, "but next time you have mayo I'm telling Mom _and_ Kurt."

Burt choked slightly on the sandwich, before swallowing painfully with a wry smile, "Deal."

TBC...

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><p>AN: Please leave me a review guys and gals! You know how much I love them!


	5. Chapter 5: Something Big

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning**: Swearing and mentions of non-con.

**A/N**: Hey guys. You know you're actually kind of lucky to get this today! Yesterday I broke out in hives and found out I'm allergic to Brazil nuts and almost didn't have time to edit this chapter! However I decided that wasn't fair to you and ignored my boyfriend for an hour today in order to edit and post this. Sometimes I wonder why he puts up with me. Apparently it's because I'm adorable :P

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><p><span>Chapter 5<span> – Something Big

"Hey," Finn gave his brother a small grin as he knocked on the open door to Kurt's bedroom awkwardly due to the fact he had a cup in each hand.

Kurt looked up from his 'manity' and smiled back weakly. "What's that?"

Finn shrugged as he stepped over and placed the cup next to one of Kurt's lotion things (he never could tell what exactly they were for) and said in a quiet voice, "I thought you might want some milk or something. Since you have that doctor's thing today and it's got to be stressful and stuff."

Kurt's smile suddenly seemed less weak as he picked up the cup and took a sip, "Thanks Finn."

"IaskedRachelouttoday," Finn let out in one breath suddenly, his cheeks tinged pink as he slowed himself down, "and I don't know what to do. I feel like I outdid anything I could have done when we were in New York but I really want to make her see how special she is and stuff."

Kurt's smile grew somewhat wry as he watched Finn collapsed into a sitting position on his bed. "So really you brought me warm milk to butter me up so I could help you with your romance problems?"

Finn pouted his lower lip, but looked down at the floor looking somewhat ashamed, "Well… that may have been part of it." He looked up at his brother, "Will you help me out here Kurt?"

"You really love her, don't you?" Kurt asked, instead of answering Finn's question.

"Yeah," was the soft answer he got in return.

"Then of course I will, I'm your brother," Kurt gave him a small smile and faced his brother, "What did you have in mind for your date?"

"Well when we were in New York I took her to this awesome dinner place that she always wanted to go to and we met Patti LuPone and –"

"Didn't get me an autograph," Kurt finished for his brother with a grumble, before saying, "Continue."

"I gave her flowers and it was all really romantic. I just don't know how to top it," Finn gave a sideways frown. "It's not going to be as awesome if I keep doing the same thing, right? I don't know, what does Blaine do when he takes you out?"

Kurt looked at Finn carefully, "It's a little different with Blaine and me since we're both guys. We still want to feel cared for and everything, but the burden's kind of on both of us to be romantic whereas girls seem to expect it from guys. It's in the small things, like the time he surprised me with tickets to my favorite musical, even if it was just a community theatre. Or the time I agreed to watch the Buckeyes game with him instead of the season finale of Grey's Anatomy."

"I can do little things," Finn told Kurt with a nod as he took in the information, "but I have to get her back first. I need to do something big."

"Missing Grey's Anatomy is a big thing for me," Kurt joked softly, before adding somewhat more seriously, "It's the idea that's important. The idea here is effort Finn. You have to put in effort to show that you care about what she likes. The more effort you put into a date, the more special it is. The reason Rachel was impressed in New York is because you tried really hard to make it something she would enjoy." Kurt explained tiredly.

"She likes BreadstiX," Finn said cautiously. "I know it's not special, but I could make it special." A look suddenly came over the taller boy's face and he sat up a little straighter, brightening like a light bulb had gone off over his head, "I know exactly what to do! Thanks Kurt! I got to go. Good luck with the doctor and stuff," there was a pause as the mood got a little more somber, "Unless you want me to go with you? I know Dad offered and you said no, but I thought-"

"Thanks Finn, but Blaine's taking me," Kurt said with a thick swallow, smiling weakly. "I'm glad you thought of something for your date. I look forward to Rachel telling me all about it."

"Thanks," Finn's voice was soft, before he asked in a careful voice, "Why don't you want Dad to go with you?"

He watched as Kurt bit his lip, chewing it nervously before he answered. "I just don't like the idea of Dad having to be in the hospital or clinic for any reason. Besides, then I can make sure when I get my results that they call me and not Dad. I just need to know first, you know; especially if it's bad news."

Finn stood and awkwardly patted his brother on the shoulder, "It won't be bad news Kurt. It just won't, kay?"

Kurt gave a grimacing smile, "Okay." He waited until Finn left to add softly, "I wish I was as certain of that as you."

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><p>"Are you ready for this?" Blaine raised a triangular eyebrow questioningly at his boyfriend as he turned off the ignition of his car.<p>

"No," Kurt's eyes locked on his momentarily, "but I don't have a whole lot of choice in the matter." He paused for a moment, his eyes running over the leather upholstery in the car before he looked up at Blaine again, "Thanks for coming with me."

"You shouldn't have to do it alone," Blaine told him in a soft voice as he opened the door to the car. He immediately rounded to the other side and opened the door for Kurt as the other boy removed his seatbelt.

Kurt climbed out of the car, his body stiffening as he looked at the building. A small movement to his side drew his eyes away and he saw Blaine casually holding his hand out for him. He slipped his own inside it, feeling the gentle squeeze that spread warmth throughout his body and eased some of the stiff fear. He smiled weakly at the curly haired boy, "Well, might as well get it over with."

When the two boys entered the clinic several heads turned towards them. One person, a middle aged woman sitting with her teenage daughter, let her eyes fall to their clasped hands before turning away with a face of disgust.

The girl made a face herself, only her upset was aimed at her mother rather than them.

Kurt let out a deep breath and waited behind two other people before finally speaking to the receptionist to check in. "Um," he said in a nervous voice, feeling Blaine squeeze his hand encouragingly again, "I'm Kurt Hummel. I have an appointment for four thirty."

The receptionist nodded, barely looking at him, before pointing to the waiting area, "You can wait over there. Someone will get you in a minute."

He let Blaine lead him to an empty pair of seats a few feet away from the woman and her daughter. The girl, a petite redhead, broke away from her mother and took a tentative step their way, "Um, hi. I'm sorry for my mom."

Kurt's eyes leveled up at the girl. She was pretty, green eyes with a small nose and bow mouth and a number of freckles covering her face. For a teenager she looked remarkably childlike, "Thanks, but we're kind of used to it."

The girl shrugged, "That doesn't mean it's right." She looked between them for a moment, a look of realization washing over her face, "You go to McKinley, right? You're Kurt."

Kurt's face tightened, "Yes. What's your point?"

The girl's eyes fluttered downward, "I just want you to know that you're not alone. My mom might not understand, but I do."

Kurt's mouth settled into a frown and he exchanged a look with Blaine, before addressing the nameless girl, "Does your mother know?"

"She's here with me, isn't she?" The girl frowned, before rolling her eyes slightly, "I don't mean about being gay. I'm not gay. I'm just- six months ago-" she paused for a moment, "I'm a victim." She swallowed thickly before letting out a grimacing smile, "I better go talk to my mom. Good luck Kurt."

"Thanks," he muttered, "You too."

The redhead walked in a shuffling manner back to her mother and Kurt turned to Blaine with an undeterminable look on his face, "That was- different."

Blaine's hazel eyes shined at him, looking almost gold for a moment, "She was just trying to help. She knows how you feel."

"Maybe," Kurt mumbled, leaning into the other boy in a way that made the plastic upholstered chairs squeak slightly.

"Kurt Hummel," a voice called, and Kurt let out a sigh, before rising from the chairs with Blaine and following the nurse as she led him down the hall.

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><p>Rachel's eyes widened when she took in the set up at the small table. A single tall candle was lit in the middle atop a genuine red table cloth. A somewhat shy looking, almost impossibly tall teenage boy jumped from the seat in front of it with a bright grin on his face, "Hey Rachel."<p>

"Finn, this is- wow," she said quietly, taking in the rest of the romantic layout of the usually pretty simple restaurant table. A delicate bouquet of pink lilies and bluebells was set up on the table in a small vase and the table was set immaculately. "How'd you get them to do this?"

"Do you like it?" He asked eagerly, pulling out a chair for her and gently kissing her cheek.

She sat, a little shocked which was obvious by the way her mouth dropped open slightly. "Of course I like it Finn. I'm not sure what the occasion is."

"There shouldn't need to be an occasion when you love someone," he said the planned line smoothly as he sank into his own chair. Red rushed into his cheeks after a moment as he answered her earlier question, "and um… I brought the table cloth and flowers and stuff early and set it up after I made sure it was okay with the manager. I hope- I hope that's okay."

She bit her lips and reached a hand over the table, "Finn, that's more than okay. This is- this is so much lovelier than I imagined. It's perfect."

"The best part is," he grinned his trademark childlike grin, "Since I bought the flowers you can take them home after."

She chuckled at him with a bright smile and shook her head as he took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb over the back of it softly. "No Finn. That's not the best part."

He cocked his head to the side a little, "Then what is?"

"That you'd do this for me, being here with you, being in love with you; take your pick," she let out a soft sigh of happy contentment.

He grinned, "And it's not a work-date. This is a date-date, okay?"

"That sounds perfect to me," she agreed, her teeth glinting as she smiled in the candlelight.

Finn rubbed his sweaty hands on his pants and smiled nervously, "Is it bad that I don't know what to talk about? It's just-" he paused, trying to remember the few things he'd planned to try and wow her, "You're dazzling."

She giggled softly, "Finn I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but I like it. I really do. No one's ever made me feel this special before. It's almost better than getting that MVP after Regionals. "

"I wanted to make you feel wanted," Finn told her thickly, smiling slightly, "because I do- want to be with you, that is."

Rachel bit her lip and suddenly Finn knew things weren't going quite as well as he hoped they would. "I want to be with you too Finn. I just- I don't know if now's the right time." She gently squeezed his hand with a soft smile, "With everything that's been going on, I don't know if either of us is ready."

"You're leaving next year," he reminded her passionately, leaning over the table slightly, "Every moment we wait is- like- one where we're wasting time 'cause we don't get to spend it together. Rach, I don't want to waste any more time. I can't."

"Finn," she let out his name in a soft breath, "I know you feel like you wasted time with Kurt. You can't let what happened to Kurt rule your life. I know you feel guilty, like if you'd started your secret service thing earlier that it wouldn't have happened, but it's not-"

Finn stopped listening, a buzzing in his ears as a barrier seemed to erect itself between her words and him. His face started growing red and the familiar swelling of rage grew up in his body.

"Finn, are you okay?" The words broke through the barrier that held them apart; the barrier that held back his anger from the small girl sitting across from him.

"No I'm not fucking okay," he raised his voice loudly, his eyes narrowing at her, "I'm not fucking okay. How could you say that? I can't fucking believe you!"

Tears were welling up in her soft brown eyes and he heard her whisper at him, "I don't understand. What did I say?"

"You don't think I know it was my fault?" He growled at her loudly as he pushed his chair back roughly so much so that he shook the table and knocked over the candle. He was barely paying attention as Rachel started frantically putting out the flame before it could light the table cloth. "I know it's my fault, but for you to say it?"

"I wasn't saying that!" She rose her voice hoarsely, streaks of mascara running down her face, "I was trying to tell you it wasn't, no matter how you feel."

His face softened, his mouth dropping open slightly, "You're wrong Rachel. It was my fault."

"No, it wasn't," she told him in a tight voice, holding back a thick sob, "but this," she motioned around to the ruined setting of their date and the people staring at them in surprise and horror, "this is your fault."

"Rachel I'm sorry-"

"Don't Finn," she raised a shaking hand up to stop him, "just don't. I'm calling my dads for a ride, but in the meantime I think you should leave."

"Rachel-"

"Just leave!" She yelled hoarsely, her arms wrapping around herself protectively, "Please."

"Okay," he whispered, his shoulders slumping in dejection, "If that's what you really want."

"That's what I really want," she lied to him. What she really wanted was for him to wrap her up in his arms and tell her everything would be okay, but she knew that would never happen; that was a school girl's fairy tale. Quinn had been right, she needed to grow up. So instead of telling the truth, she watched as the impossibly tall boy that she loved like no other left the restaurant. The moment the door closed behind him she sank into her chair, trying to hold in the sobs as they ripped from her chest.

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><p>AN: Before anyone gets wary of the possibility of an OC or Mary Sue character, the redheaded girl is a terribly minor character. I don't even have a name for her… she might not even get one. Anyways please leave me a review and tell me what you think.

Also, Kurt's little speech about romance, it's not actually necessary for guys to be the ones to be romantic. Girls can and should do special romantic things for their guys too, but when a guy is romantic it certainly helps win us gals over :).


	6. Chapter 6: Be Skeptical

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning**: Swearing and mentions on non-con.

**A/N**: Well everyone I'm proud to say that I've now written up to chapter 11 of this story and that for anyone who likes Marina Anderson (Blaine's OC aunt) she's going to verbally kick some butt in that chapter. In any case I hope you like Chapter 6, where I've included some more secondary characters like Brittany and Sam.

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><p><span>Chapter 6<span> – Be Skeptical

Kevin turned, walking in front of the football team, surveying the students wearing their letterman jackets and making sure that only the students he wanted there were in fact there for the meeting. There were no glee losers, which was the main thing. Azimio Adams also wasn't there, but that was all part of the carefully developed plan he'd been given.

It couldn't be a surprise if he wasn't surprised, now could it? At least that's what he'd been told.

"Good, everyone here?" He asked in a careful voice. "Excellent. Now as you know McKinley has a little fag problem going on. It's time to fix that and at the same time we can show this stupid school and the fags in it just what happens to people who mess with our football team."

As Kevin discussed the plans with the team, or rather told them what they were going to do, Brittany Pierce had her brows furrowed in a look of consternation. It wasn't too often that she got lost in the halls of McKinley while she was looking for her next class, but unfortunately today just happened to be one of those days.

She pressed her hand on one door, hearing voices come from the inside. She listened for a moment, trying to decipher if they were the voices of her classmates or not. There were only boys' voices coming from in the room and she looked at the sign on the door.

She giggled to herself softly. The boys' locker room was definitely not her English class. She was about to turn away when she heard someone talking about glee club, _her_ club.

The giggling stopped and she frowned when she also heard Kurt's last name be mentioned and a last name that she thought might be Blaine's. She couldn't let her glee club get hurt anymore, especially Kurt. She knew Kurt had gotten hurt in a really bad way. Sure sex was good when you wanted it, but even she knew that if you didn't it was probably awful.

Sex was good when you loved someone and you wanted it and were relaxed and ready. Kurt had been none of those things when Karofsky had sex with him, so instead of really awesome, it had to be really bad.

The better something could be, the worse it could hurt you if it wasn't done the right way. Brittany knew that. It was kind of like the way she loved Santana. The love was so good and made her heart happy when they were alone, but the fact Santana couldn't be open with their feelings made her heart hurt even more. Except for Kurt there had been no good to outweigh the bad that had been much more than bad. She'd seen in his eyes that it had been purely awful. That broke her heart more than anything.

She didn't want to see his eyes like that ever again so she pressed her ear to the door, listening carefully.

"That club won't know what hit them," she heard a voice say with a laugh.

She pushed the door open and put her hands on her hips, "What's going on here?" She asked, her voice tight and not holding its usually happy, sweet tone as she set her darkened eyes at the boys. "You can't hurt my friends. It's not nice."

"Brittany," Kevin's voice was suddenly soft and she remembered making out with him once or twice the year before. "We're not planning to hurt your friends; just the opposite Sweetie."

She frowned at the boy, not wanting to trust him too easily. Everyone was always telling her she was too naïve. She definitely needed an explanation before she just let Kevin Turner and his friends do whatever they planned to do. "You said the club wouldn't know what hit them. _And_ before that I heard someone mention Glee club. That means you want to hurt my friends." She set her lips in a thin line, "They've been hurt enough and I won't let you hurt them more."

"No, no," Kevin softened his voice even more, reminding her for a moment of the way he'd not only made out with her, but cuddled with her afterwards the year before. She loved cuddling. "Britt, Sweetie, I know they've been hurt enough."

"You mentioned Kurt, and maybe Blaine and I know you don't like them," she reminded him, trying to stand firm despite the coaxing in his voice.

"I know we've been mean in the past," Kevin said, still coaxing her with a soft smile, "But we want to make up for that, right guys?"

Brittany looked at the other players and they were nodding their assent. They looked a little nervous, but then again she was a girl; she wasn't exactly supposed to be in the boys' locker room. She kept her hands on her hips, trying to be skeptical; something Kurt told her would be a good idea to do sometimes.

He'd even been nice enough to explain that it meant to not believe someone without a really good explanation.

"What were you talking about then?" She asked, tilting her head and trying to keep her eyes dark and serious.

Kevin smiled, showing off his really white teeth, "Brit, you can't tell anyone, okay? It won't be a surprise if you tell them, but we want to throw them a nice surprise party- as a way to say sorry." He placed a hand on hers gently, "You wouldn't want to ruin the surprise for them, would you?"

Her stance wavered and she chewed on her lip. She'd always wanted someone to throw her a surprise party. Surprise parties were nice, happy events. She didn't want to ruin that for her club, or Kurt or Blaine, "Just a surprise party?" She asked doubtfully.

"Just a surprise party," he promised her. "That's all it is Sweetie. Can you keep that a secret for me? That way everyone will be so happy and surprised when we pull it off. You want your friends to be happy, right?"

She returned his smile after a moment. After all, there was nothing wrong with getting a surprise party. "Yeah." She grinned, "Can I help plan? I love surprise parties!"

Kevin gave a really weird laugh, but Brittany didn't comment. It wasn't nice to make of people if they had a funny laugh. "I'll tell you what Britt. When it's time I'll send you a text and all you have to do is send that text to all the glee jocks, okay?"

"I don't understand," she frowned softly, "Why just the glee jocks?"

"It's part of the surprise Britt," he told her with that same coaxing smile, "Just trust me. You trust me, don't you Britt? We had that really nice thing last year and I was nice to you, remember? I'm a nice guy. We're all nice guys. We just want a chance to prove it."

"Okay," she smiled softly. She'd been skeptical and she'd gotten a really good explanation, so it was okay to believe them now, wasn't it? "I believe you."

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><p>The hallways were busy and Finn could barely make out the short girl where she was standing at her locker and carefully pressing a couple of books into her arms before she slammed the door closed. The books were then pressed tightly to her chest and he noticed with shame that her eyes were red as if she'd been crying.<p>

"Um," he said carefully as he stepped closer to her, "Rachel, could I carry those for you?"

"I don't think so," her eyes swept over him as if he wasn't even there before she stalked past him. She was walking briskly away from him and he knew that if his legs weren't so much longer than hers he'd never have kept up so easily.

"Please Rachel," he tried weakly, wanting to reach out to grab her arm, but thinking better of her, "Please let me talk to you. Let me apologize."

"I don't have time for this," she whispered hoarsely, stopping to look at him with watery eyes that hardened at the sight of him. "Look Finn- thinking that we could work again- that was obviously a mistake. I'm sorry- I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise, but at this point I think we should go our separate ways."

"Rachel-"

"I'm sick and tired of crying over you. Hell, if I had a dime for every single time I did, I'd be a millionaire," she said, raising her voice enough that several people in the hallway stopped to pay attention. "You can't keep screwing up and just expecting me to wait for you. I'm sorry Finn, but I'm done. I'm done with this. I'm done with being hurt. Goodbye."

She turned and practically ran from him.

His mouth dropped open slightly in shock as he watched her. "I- Rachel!" He called out after her, but she didn't stop. She kept on running.

* * *

><p>"I'll see you later," Kurt promised his boyfriend with a small smile as Sam and Mike hovered behind them. His eyes darted around for a moment, before leaning in to quickly peck him on the lips.<p>

"I should hope so. I'm going to need someone to distract me from all this studying," he groaned in a soft voice, "It's not as bad as Dalton, but still."

"My poor, spoiled, little prep boy," Kurt joked in a soft voice, giving the other boy a gentle shove, "Now get to class."

Blaine rolled his eyes at him, before heading towards his next class with Mike in step beside him.

Kurt watched as the two boys walked away, before leaning against his locker tiredly. His back immediately straightened when he saw a jock heading their way, a slushy cup in hand.

Sam immediately stepped in front of him, but somehow it didn't prove necessary. Jackson Fraser tripped directly in front of the English classroom over a barely visible sneaker clad foot, sending the purple colored drink all over himself.

"Dude," Azimio stepped through the classroom door, his sneakers squeaking in the syrupy mess on the floor as he leaned down to yank Fraser to his feet, "learn to watch where you're going. You could've gotten that shit all over me."

Without another word Azimio brushed passed them, a half hidden smirk riding over his face.

"Hey um Jack," Sam managed to say as he tried to hold back the shaking laughter in his throat, "I just wanted to say, purple really suits you. You should wear it more often."

"Fuck off, Sam," Jack growled before adding an ominous, "Just you wait." He turned his heel and started running in the general direction of the boys' bathroom as several other students started snickering at him.

"That was- interesting," Kurt commented in a soft voice, looking somewhat more relaxed now that Jack had taken off. As a matter of fact for once the other students of McKinley were staring at someone else. It was definitely a welcome feeling.

"Almost looked like Azimio tripped him on purpose," Sam added, smirking slightly, "Guess he's not so bad after all."

"Maybe," Kurt shrugged softly as he shifted the strap of his bag on his shoulder, "Shouldn't we head to class?"

"It's math, we can skip it if you want," Sam said in a soft voice.

"Math is your favorite subject," Kurt reminded him with a furrowed brow, "Why would you want to skip it?"

"Dude, you hate being there," Sam explained in a thick tone. Sure math was his favorite subject. Numbers, unlike letters, were so much easier for him to understand, but he also knew that the math classroom haunted his friend like a ghost.

He couldn't imagine what it would be like to have that kind of memory following him around, threatening to send him into fits of terror at any moment. He was dyslexic, but he wasn't dumb, he could see the way Kurt still shivered at unwanted contact and the way his eyes always darted nervously around whatever room he happened to be in.

Most of all he saw the way the other boy was pushing people away. He just hoped that getting him alone for a little while; talking with him, might keep him from doing the same to him.

"So," he heard Kurt's voice mumble, "I have to get over it sometime."

"Dude, _Kurt_," he amended his choice of wording at the bitch glare he got from the other boy with the word 'dude'. "Yeah I know you can't skip math for the rest of your life, but it's one class. It's not going to kill you. We can just chill or something. We haven't chilled in a while."

Kurt rolled his eyes, "You know. I'd expect this from Puck, but not you."

"I'm homeless and troubled," Sam smirked at him with a small shrug, "I'm allowed to rebel. It's expected. You're allowed to rebel a little too, you know. No one would really blame you."

"Alright," Kurt let out a sigh, only pretending to be exasperated which was apparent by the small smile on his face, "Where are we going?"

Sam shrugged, "I don't know, the auditorium? No one should be there so we won't get in any trouble." There was a small pause, "There was actually something I wanted to talk to you about."

Kurt swallowed slightly as he walked with the other boy towards the auditorium. It was funny how now he didn't have to push his way through the crowd at school, everyone made room for him. It was as if they could catch 'victim' by just touching him. "What was that?"

"Um, let's get to the auditorium first," Sam told him awkwardly, looking suddenly nervous. He ushered Kurt into the room and they both sat down in the back. "Look um, Kurt- this is kind of awkward, but I wanted to ask your opinion on something."

Kurt looked almost afraid of what was coming next. He trusted Sam. He knew Sam would never do anything to hurt him. They were friends; good friends ever since Kurt had started helping him out after he'd found out he was homeless, but his vague statements were starting to make him a little bit nervous. "What is it Sam?"

"You're best friends with Mercedes right?" Sam asked, his cheeks turning slightly red, "Do- do you think she'd say yes if I asked her out?"

Kurt let out a puff of breath that was somewhere between relief and amusement, "Come to the romance master, have you?"

Sam just raised an eyebrow.

"Finn came to me the other day for romance advice. Of course he had to go and mess things up, at least that's what I gather from his sullen silence when he got home, but my advice was still solid," Kurt told the other boy, sounding confident in his assessment. "However before I go giving you advice you do know if you hurt her in any way I will be forced to set a large pack of rabid dogs on you, right?"

There was a long pause before Sam managed a nervous sounding, "Right."

"Now what did you have in mind?"

"Well I don't have lots of money, so I thought like a picnic or something?" Sam told the other boy, before adding hastily, "Somewhere really nice though. Like near a lake or a river or something." He paused again, sounding a little frantic, "Are there any near here?"

"Schoonover Park is a good bet. There's a peninsula and a boardwalk, so you guys can go for a walk too," Kurt said in a calming voice, tentatively reaching a hand over to pat the other boy's arm. He was surprised to find the action didn't bother him as much as he thought it might. He trusted Sam, like he trusted Finn and Blaine, so it wasn't so bad.

"I could bring a nice blanket, cook everything and um… pick some flowers?" Sam asked nervously, peering at Kurt for some sort of acknowledgement or encouragement of his tentative ideas. "Kurt, some help here?"

"Sam," Kurt smiled softly, "I don't think you need any help. That sounds perfect. I might have to steal it and take Blaine out for a picnic sometime."

"You really think so?" Sam asked softly.

"Yes, so ask her out soon before somebody else does," Kurt told him with a small laugh, "It's not going to be long before someone else swoops in and realizes how perfect my chocolate goddess is. You better hurry up, because she definitely needs someone who'll treat her right. I wouldn't be able to trust just anyone with that job Sam, but I think I could trust you."

"Glad you approve," Sam grinned and wrapped an arm around him briefly, giving him a small squeeze. He didn't move his arm, his face sobering, "You know Kurt. You need anything you can come to me, right? We're friends and well- you know."

"No, I don't think I do," Kurt mumbled after a moment, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the sudden direction the conversation had taken.

"You should," Sam kept him voice gentle, "Don't think we all don't see it Kurt. You don't have to go through all this stuff alone. We can do more than protect you if you'd just let us-"

"Good luck with Mercedes," Kurt cut him off abruptly, standing from the seat and hoisting his bag back over his shoulder, preparing to leave.

"You can't leave," Sam reminded him in a firm voice, "No one else is around to take up bodyguard duty and the football team is definitely up to something; you heard Jack. I'm sorry if you don't want to hear what I have to say, but you don't really have a choice."

Sam was only slightly surprised when he saw the pinpricks of tears in Kurt's eyes, but he was much more shocked at what came out of the other boy's mouth, "No choice. I've heard that before. You know what happened then?" Kurt yelled angrily, his eyes looking like pools of clear water as the pinpricks grew slightly. "I was slammed against a wall and raped!"

"I'm not like him," Sam shouted, standing up and taking a step towards the other boy, "I'm trying to help you, not hurt you! I'm not going to rape you. I just want you to fucking listen!" He took a deep, frustrated breath when he noticed that Kurt's mouth dropped open in shock and fear.

The slight boy had taken a step back, clutching the strap of his back with two hands, his eyes staring at him.

Sam calmed his voice softly, "We just want you to let us in."

Kurt shook his head, "You only think you do Sam. Trust me it's better this way. None of you really want to hear the details. You don't want to know what's going on in my head and once you know- there's no unknowing it. It's all fine in the abstract. I mean, sure, you know what it is. You know it happened to me, but really- you don't want me talking about the details; no one does. I'm pretty sure my therapist doesn't and she gets paid to."

"We already know some of it," Sam reminded him in a small voice, "Before Finn asked us to leave the trial. We heard some of what happened Kurt and maybe the details are hard to hear, but I know they had to be a lot harder to actually live through. You don't need to protect us Kurt. You need to work of getting through it and part of that is using your support system, also known as your friends. Maybe we don't even need to know the graphic details, but we can still be there for you."

Kurt stepped forward awkwardly, still clutching the straps of his bag until there was merely an inch of space between them. "Does utilizing my friends include hugs when things are overwhelming?"

Sam nodded and wrapped him arms carefully around the other boy and drawing him close. "Do you get it now?" He asked the other boy in a soft whisper.

"I don't know," Kurt whispered, "It's hard to trust people."

"You can trust me," Sam promised him in a gentle tone, "And the glee club. We all want you to get through this, but you have to let us in."

Kurt let the thoughts swirl around in his head, before shaking it vigorously, "I'm sorry," he pulled back suddenly, "it's just too hard." He stopped and dug around in his bag for his iPhone and connected it to a pair of earbuds, before sinking into his seat and popping them into his ears, letting the music drown out the other boy and his own thoughts.

Sam let out a soft growl and sank into the seat beside Kurt, staring at the empty stage. There was no use trying to talk to the boy now. If Kurt Hummel was anything, it was stubborn as hell.

He just hoped one of the others would eventually be able to get through to him.

TBC...

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><p>AN: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please drop me a review s'il vous plait.


	7. Chapter 7: Broken Promises

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning**: Mentions of non-con and swearing.

**A/N**: Sorry it's a day or two late folks. I seem to be working all the time and my internet is being finicky (and it won't get fixed until September 13th!) at the moment. Please forgive me!

Chapter 7 – Broken Promises

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><p>Finn sat himself very carefully on the comfortable armchair that sat across from the identical chair Dr. MacLeod was sitting in. He looked at her for a long moment, before speaking, "I promised my Dad I'd talk to you this time."<p>

Dr. MacLeod let out a small chuckle, "Well I have to say I was getting a little bored of just staring at you for an hour every week. So Finn, what would you like to talk about?"

"Honestly?" He asked, then added without waiting for an answer, "Nothing. This is pointless."

The therapist raised a carefully manicured eyebrow at him, before saying in a calm, even tone, "Is that so? Please explain."

"It's like no offense to you or whatever, but like I told my Dad, I just got a couple broken ribs," Finn explained, his mouth still tight, looking for any indication that she was trying to trick him into talking about his feelings. "Kurt and Blaine actually had to deal with like sexual stuff; well more Kurt, but Kurt says Blaine got really messed up too, even if he won't admit it."

"So Blaine won't admit that he got hurt?" Dr. MacLeod asked in a quiet voice.

"Well, yeah. That's what Kurt says. He doesn't really talk about it that much except for how it makes him all frustrated. I don't know, at school he seems like really tense and stuff, but I thought that was because he was worried about Kurt." Finn paused for a long moment, "but I guess he thought he was going to get raped too and that's got to be pretty scary."

"I bet," Dr. MacLeod agreed softly, "He must have been terrified."

"Yeah," Finn agreed after a moment, feeling somewhat comfortable as long as they weren't talking about him. "He gets really nervous whenever the jocks he doesn't know are around, but I guess that makes sense."

"We're you scared when Karofsky stood on your chest?" Dr. MacLeod asked in a calm voice.

"Well a little I guess," he narrowed his eyes, "but that's different. I thought he was going to hurt me, not _rape_ me." He shuddered a little at the word. Even if it hadn't happened to him, the very thought that the concept existed, that it had happened to his brother and almost happened to his friend (because Blaine had definitely become a good friend), made him uncomfortable; and angry.

"But you knew he was capable of extreme violence, that must have affected you," she said in a soft voice, "being in a position where your life is in someone like that's hands."

He let out a growl, "My life wasn't in his hands, it was under his foot _and_ I want to talk about something else."

"Alright," she gave in easily, "What do you want to talk about then Finn?"

"I don't know," he mulled it over for a long moment. While he was here he might as well see if he could get some advice on how to fix things with Rachel. "I kind of made this girl I really care about mad at me. Actually first I made her cry then I made her mad. Maybe you could help me figure out how to make it up to her?"

Dr. MacLeod nodded at him, "Why don't you tell me about it then. How did you upset her?"

"Well, her name is Rachel," he informed her, before explaining, "We used to date in the fall and I still really love her and I wanted to win her back, so I asked her out on this date. I asked Kurt for advice and he said it was all about the effort you put into something or whatever, so I tried really hard to make it special. I brought her to Breadstix but I like set up our table like it was a fancy restaurant. It was really good, but then she said something and I went berserk."

This definitely seemed to peak the doctor's interest, "That's not a lot of detail Finn. I can't really help you remedy this if I don't know exactly what happened. What did she say that made you 'go berserk'?"

"It wasn't what she said really, it was what I thought she said," he told her morosely. "We were talking about getting back together and she said it wasn't the right time and somehow we got to what happened to Kurt-"

"That he was raped," she clarified.

"Yeah," he looked a little taken aback by how matter-of-factly she said it. He was so used to people pussy-footing around the word, even Kurt. It had a way of making people, himself included, very uncomfortable. "That. Anyway I thought she was blaming me when really she was trying to tell me not to blame myself for letting it happen and I got really mad and yelled at her and made her cry. How am I supposed to fix that?"

"I'm not exactly sure," she told him, which was totally not helpful. "Why did you get so angry with her?"

"I thought she was blaming me," Finn repeated, thinking for a moment that the lady had to have a few marbles missing if she hadn't caught that the first time. "I already told you that."

"You got angry because you thought she thought it was your fault that Kurt was raped," she clarified in a quiet voice. "And you got extremely defensive and angry. Why is that?"

"Because she didn't have to tell me what I already know!" He let out in a strangled yell, pushing himself deeper in the seat. "I know it's my fault. I don't need people reminding me, okay?"

"How exactly is it your fault?" She asked him.

"I'm his brother! I was supposed to protect him, but I wasn't there," he found tears pricking at his eyes, "Even when my dad found out- he asked where I was- and he was right. I should have been there- I should have-"

"Finn," she cut off his hysterics with a soft voice, "Did you drag your brother into an empty classroom?"

He looked at her oddly, and answered her in a hoarse, somewhat suspicious voice, "No."

"Did you rape him?" She asked in an even, unbiased voice.

His chest nearly exploded with fury at the casual accusation, "What? No way!-"

"Then how exactly is it your fault?" She challenged him. "Unless you were the one who did those things to your brother, then you are not to blame, no matter what anyone else says." She paused, softening her voice at the same time Finn noticed a tear track on his cheek, "It seems to me that you're dealing with a lot of guilt and self-hatred here Finn and that's not healthy. It's manifesting itself in anger, which is bursting out whenever that guilt gets to be too much."

"Shut up," he snapped at her, suddenly angrier than before. He narrowed his eyes at her darkly. "You tricked me. We're supposed to be talking about Rachel, not me!"

"Finn," her voice was still calm as she addressed him, "You knew we were talking about you the moment we started discussing why you were angry with Rachel. Whether you can admit it or not, you want help."

"I don't need or want anyone's help," Finn growled, turning his head from her and treating her once again to his cold shoulder.

* * *

><p>"What do you think?" Mercedes twirled around in the flowing orange sundress, letting it swish around her legs.<p>

Kurt eyed the dress carefully, noting the color and cut, "It's the perfect shape for you Mercedes, but I think you need to try a different color. That shade of orange just isn't for you." He frowned, moving towards the nearby rack and pulling one in a nice shade of purple, "then again I'm not sure that particular orange is for anybody. No one should dress like a traffic cone." He passed her the dress, "This one however, will most definitely make the most of your fabulousness."

"Oh boo, what would I do without you?" She asked with a smile, taking the dress and disappearing back into the dressing room.

Kurt gave a grin and leaned back on his hands where he was sitting on the square cushioned stool. He kind of missed this; retail therapy and talking about boys like two normal best friends. "Hey Mercedes," he called into the changing room, "What do you think of Sam?"

The door burst open and Mercedes was standing there in all her fabulousness, looking absolutely stunning in the purple sundress. She also looked positively stunned, "What did you just ask me White Boy?"

"So," Kurt chuckled softly, taking in her widened eyes and slightly open mouth, "You do like him, don't you?"

"You are way too intuitive for your own good," she grumbled good-naturedly as she gave a twirl in the new dress. "Yes I think he's ridiculously cute, are you happy?" She shook her head, smiling softly, "Something about seeing a guy being so good to his little siblings just melts my heart."

"He is ridiculously cute," Kurt agreed, "However I have to say I'm pretty sure Blaine is hot, which beats cute."

"Sam is also ridiculously hot," Mercedes reminded him, an invisible blush finding her cheeks.

"This could end badly," Kurt joked softly. "Let's not argue about which one of us has the hotter boy on their arm, we might end up hurting each other and I don't know about you, but I don't want to see you cut a bitch. Mainly because I'm pretty sure it'd be me."

Mercedes smile dropped, "Except Sam's not on my arm. I don't think he thinks of me that way." She swished the dress around again, "You were definitely right about the dress, boo. It's so much better than the orange one."

"Of course I was right," Kurt tried not to come off as too arrogant, but with skills like his, it was a little difficult. "And I'm going to be right about what I'm going to tell you next; Sam likes you. Just you wait and see."

"Do you know something I don't?"

"These lips are sealed-" he began to joke as his iPhone began playing the opening bars to 'For Good'. He frowned, "That must be Rachel." He paused, "I know she went on a date with Finn last night, but he wouldn't talk about it when he got home. I'm kind of surprised she hasn't called me yet."

"That's never good," Mercedes agreed, getting ready to disappear back into the dressing room, "You'd better answer that."

He nodded, answering the phone and pressing it to the side of his head, "Hey Rachel."

"You're brother sucks," her voice came through the phone hoarse and wet sounding.

"What he do this time?" Kurt let out a sigh and listened as Rachel told him the whole sad, sordid story.

* * *

><p>The moment Mercedes dropped him off from the mall (Rachel had insisted that he needn't come over) Kurt set up camp on the couch. He knew Finn had an appointment with Dr. MacLeod today and that the other boy usually locked himself up in his room after each appointment to kill things on his computer.<p>

There was no way he was letting the other boy get away with that today. Finn had to cross through the living room to get to his bedroom and he'd be damned if he didn't get the chance to thoroughly and verbally chew out his brother for his actions.

He was halfway through an episode of Bones when he finally heard the door to the house open.

"What the hell?" Kurt asked when he saw his brother step into the house. "What did you think you were doing yesterday? I thought you were asking me how to take Rachel out on the perfect date, not how to make her cry for hours."

"She was crying that long?" Finn asked softly, sinking down into the cushions of the couch, looking utterly defeated and forlorn.

"Yes Finn," Kurt growled angrily, "She called me in tears during my shopping trip with Mercedes. She said something about you yelling at her, scaring her and making a huge scene at Breadstix because she was trying to comfort you."

"I misheard her, I-"

"I don't want to hear excuses Finn Hudson," he told his brother with a glare, "You screwed up."

"I screwed up so bad," he admitted, lowering his head and dropping it into his hands, "I just- I get so angry sometimes and I just can't stop it. I don't know how."

"Well you better learn how," Kurt growled, turning away from his brother.

"I tried to apologize," Finn added in a soft voice, hoping that would make his brother a little less angry with him. "I tried but she wouldn't listen to me. She said- she said she was done with crying over me."

"Yeah, I heard about that too," Kurt commented, not sounding impressed at all with Finn's attempt at an apology. "Do you blame her? Do you really think an 'I'm sorry' is enough to fix that you yelled at her when you were supposed to take her out on a romantic date and made her cry in front of a bunch of people, some strangers and some people she knew. You scared her and embarrassed her Finn."

"I know I'm awful," Finn mumbled miserably, sinking deeper into the couch, "Can you just be my brother for a minute and not be pissed at me? It's bad enough Rachel's pissed at me and I'm pretty sure she's like the love of my life. I don't want my only brother mad at me too."

"Damn you and your whole kicked puppy routine," Kurt growled under his breath, "Fine, I won't be angry with you, for now, but I hope you know that for it to stay that way you're going to have to find a way to make things up to Rachel. You don't need to win her back, but you'd better make it up to her."

"I will," Finn nodded his head, curling up on the couch so that he was a few inches away from his brother, "You watching Bones?"

"Yeah," Kurt answered curtly. His voice softened almost immediately when he noticed just how upset his brother seemed to be, "It's not just Rachel that's bother you, is it?"

"That doctor lady tricked me," Finn growled softly, despite that he didn't sound too angry for once. He just sounded forlorn. "Everyone says it wasn't my fault."

"I-" Kurt stared at his brother for a long moment, "Finn it wasn't. Just because you weren't there doesn't make it your fault. You can't always be there to protect me. I know you don't like the idea, but it's true."

"I really don't like it," Finn grumbled sadly and allowing Kurt's arms to wrap around him softly, "I can't let you get hurt again. You're my little brother. It's my job to protect you."

"I wish you could always be around to protect me too," Kurt whispered tightly. Maybe he didn't blame his brother for not being there, but that didn't change that he wished he had been. He wished anyone had been there to save him; anyone.

"I won't let it happen again," Finn promised suddenly, grasping his brother to him, "You're going to be safe from now on. I promise."

Kurt's response was tiny and quiet; so quiet that Finn wasn't even sure if he heard him correctly, "Don't make promises you can't keep."

Finn didn't exactly have a chance to find out for sure if that's what his brother said. Instead as he opened his mouth the doorbell rang and Kurt jumped up from the couch to answer it.

When Kurt answered the door he left out of soft smile, beckoning his boyfriend inside as the other boy's phone went off. Blaine looked at it, annoyance flickering past his eyes before tucking it back inside.

Kurt's smile faded slightly as they entered the living room, "Who was that?"

"Don't worry about it," Blaine smiled weakly at him, before greeting Finn, "Hey."

"Hey Dude," Finn replied, giving the other boy a small smile. "What are your plans for tonight?"

Blaine gave off a shrug, "Movies on the couch. You want to join us?"

Finn looked at Kurt, "I don't know. Kurt's a little pissed at me."

Kurt raised an arched eyebrow, before rolling his eyes, "I'm not pissed at you Finn. Remember we discussed this? You just have to make things up to Rachel."

Finn gave off a small groan, "Yeah, if she lets me."

"Did I miss something? Blaine asked, ignoring another text from his phone. "What's going on with Rachel? I thought you were trying to win her back or something?"

"Finn here messed things up," Kurt explained vaguely, frowning as his own phone gave a beep. He checked the text then looked back up at Blaine, "Wes stays to stop ignoring him and David." He paused slightly for a moment, "Why are you ignoring your best friends?"

"You're my best friend," Blaine argued weakly, sinking into the couch next to Finn. Something immediately told the former Warbler that he and Finn would soon be in the same 'Kurt's mad at us' boat.

"Why are you ignoring Wes and David?" Kurt repeated more firmly, his hands going to his hips to emphasize his displeasure.

"They're being annoying," was the lackluster response.

"How so?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow at his boyfriend, "Because from what I've gathered they've mostly been just trying to find some time to hang out and make up for not understanding why you left Dalton in the first place."

"You've been talking to them," Blaine surmised in a soft voice.

"Yes, texting anyways, and you haven't," Kurt added, sounding most displeased. "Why are you really ignoring them Blaine?"

Blaine shrugged his shoulders, "Last time I was with them, they just kept going on about how something must have happened and Wes slapped me. I just- it's too much right now, okay?"

"Wes told me why he slapped you," Kurt told him in a soft voice. "They care about you Blaine. They're your friends and you're pushing them away."

"Sound familiar?" Blaine asked in a sarcastic voice, raising an eyebrow at Kurt. Kurt's lips tightened into a firm line at the comment and Blaine let out a tiny sigh of guilt, "Sorry, that was uncalled for. Look, it's just too much right now, okay? Can we just deal with this once school's out; you know when there's actually time to deal with it?"

Kurt's shoulders slumped downward, "Okay."

"Come on guys, didn't you say something about movies?" Finn asked, trying to break the tension slightly. "Which ones did you get?"

Blaine held up a DVD and handed it to the taller boy. "Limitless. It's supposed to be good."

"Awesome," Finn told him, still trying to break through the thick awkwardness that had still settled in the air. He popped the DVD into the player and leaned back into the couch.

He certainly hoped that Kurt and Blaine's relationship wasn't starting to fall apart the way his and Rachel's had. He looked over and let out a small sigh of relief when he saw Kurt's arm wrap around Blaine's shoulder as the curly haired boy leaned into him.

It wasn't perfect. They weren't perfect, but somehow they just worked.

He only hoped it would one day be the same for him and Rachel.

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><p><strong>AN**: Once school starts my internet issues should be non-issue. Basically I will try my best to continue to update on Fridays, but if I cannot update this Friday it will certainly be up by September 7th when I have some classes. Sorry again that it's late! Please leave a review.


	8. Chapter 8: Helpless

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning**: Homophobia and cruelty. The cruelty may not be necessarily violent, but I think considering the characters back stories that it's pretty cruel.

**A/N**: This chapter, while shorter than some of the others, is where shit gets serious. I'm actually not too fond of the ending, but my internet is still being finicky (I mean it is a day late due to not having any service whatsoever on Friday) so I'm uploading this while I still can. Also, virtual cookies to whoever can guess where I got the idea for the 'prank' (it's really worse than a prank but I don't know what else to call it at present. Maybe an attack?).

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><p><span>Chapter 8<span> - Helpless

"Britt, Sweetie," Kevin accosted Brittany as she headed towards the exit of the building, "It's time for the big surprise party and I need your help."

Brittany frowned slightly, "You should have told me it was after school. I would have made sure the others stayed. Everyone but Puck, Finn, Kurt and Blaine left already." Her shoulders slumped, "It won't be fair if everyone's not there."

"Don't worry Britt," Kevin reassured her with a fake smile, "They're all waiting now. All I need to do is borrow your phone now to send a text to Finn and Puck." He held out his hand, "The party's in the auditorium, but everyone's hiding. You should go wait there while I finish setting up the surprise, okay?"

She chewed her lip softly, "Why couldn't I tell the rest of the glee club if they're hiding in the auditorium?" She thought for a long moment, "Wouldn't that mean they'd already know, so it would be okay to talk to them about it?"

"Everyone needed to be quiet Britt," Kevin explained in a voice that barely contained his frustration, "Just give me your phone okay? You're going to ruin the surprise."

"You don't sound so nice anymore," she told him, not handing over her phone, but putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him, "You lied to me. There's no surprise party for my dolphins, is there?"

Kevin let out a growl, "Give me your Goddamn phone." He grabbed her wrist, eliciting a squeal from the statuesque blonde. "Now Brittany; I need your phone now."

"No," she hissed when her wrist twisted slightly and she tried to tug herself out of his tight grip, "Let me go Kevin!"

"Give me your phone," he pulled her towards the janitor's closet where the door had been left partially open, "I don't want to hurt a girl Brittany, but you're fucking with my plans and you're making me mad." He tore the door open, "Give me your phone."

She narrowed her eyes at him and opened her mouth to scream, but a hand pressed over her lips before she could let it out and suddenly Kevin's face was directly in front of hers, "Listen to me carefully Brittany," he told her in a dark voice. "You're going to give me your phone and then you're going to sit here quietly like a good little girl. If you don't, well who knows what might happen to your little dolphins?"

The blood drained from her face silently and she gave a small nod. "You won't hurt them if I give you my phone?" Her voice was tinier than usual, but still slightly hopeful despite that Kevin hadn't kept any of his other promises.

"Of course not," he reassured in a sickly smooth voice. "I just need your phone Britt. I need to text Puck and Finn- what would that have to do with your dolphins?"

"But-" she paused, working her head around his words. That had everything to do with her friends. Finn and Puck were on protection duty. "They're the secret service," she tightened her lips into a thin line, "You can't have my phone."

"Always have to do things the hard way," he growled, digging his hand into her pocket and extracting her phone despite how she clawed at him with her long nails. He pushed her back hard into the closet and slammed the door, noting with satisfaction that it locked automatically.

He looked down at the phone in his hands and sent an identical text to both Finn and Puck.

_My dolphins are being tossed in the dumpsters out front! Hurry!_

It didn't sound exactly like Brittany, but hey, Kevin thought to himself, neither Hudson nor Puckerman were particularly bright anyway.

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><p>"I don't like this," Kurt mumbled as he walked down the hall, his hand clutched inside Blaine's. He peered down the empty hallway, wondering where the hell Finn and Puck could be. They were supposed to meet them there.<p>

"Mmm," Blaine murmured, wrapping an arm around Kurt's waist protectively. "Me neither. Let's just get to the car."

Kurt nodded slightly, his eyes darting around the hallway. He didn't like what he saw. Coming out of the locker room were several guys from the football team, none of whom were their friends. "Maybe we should go the other way."

"Just who we were looking for," Kurt flinched, knowing the voice was directed at them. "It's Hummel and his little boyfriend." They kept walking in the other direction, picking up the pace slightly, "Hey wait up boys. We just want to have a little chat." Kurt felt his whole body start to freeze at that particular phrase, but he forced himself to keep walking. "Where are your bodyguards? Don't tell me they got distracted and left you here all alone."

"Or maybe someone sent them a nice little text message saying their two faggy little friends were in some trouble by the dumpsters?" This voice was coming from in front of them and Kurt froze when he found Kevin Turner standing in their path. "I bet they just went running."

Blaine pressed Kurt closer to him, feeling the other boy start to shake in fear, "Leave us alone okay. We just want to go home."

"I'm sure David wishes he could just go home too," Turner's voice growled, scowling down at the two boys, "but he can't do that now, can he? Not for six and a half fucking years."

"That's not our fault," Blaine murmured as the footballers started closing in on their personal space, "If David wanted to stay out of prison then he should have left Kurt alone." He raised his voice bravely, "So I suggest you do too, unless you want to join him."

Turner started laughing loudly but there was no mirth in his voice. "I don't think that's how this works Fag. You haven't learned your lesson yet and what's the point of going to school if you don't learn anything?"

Hands gripped his shoulders tightly and suddenly the two boys were ripped apart and Kurt was struggling in someone's tight grip, practically screaming.

Blaine started to yell too, although his were not wordless, "Let him-" but a hand clamped across his mouth as his feet lifted off the ground.

Kurt's screaming was cut off abruptly as well and Blaine's eyes flickered desperately over to where Kurt was being manhandled down the hallway. The jock, a guy whose name was something like Tom or Troy or something like that, had his hand pressed tightly over Kurt's mouth and another pinning his arms to his torso.

Blaine felt tears creeping into his eyes. He could see Kurt's distress through the stiff way his boyfriend was holding himself and the tears that were slipping down his cheeks.

That distress was the fear was roiling through Kurt's bloodstream, his fight or flight response was failing him with the tight grip wrapped around his body. His limbs were tingling as he struggled against the jock holding him. He couldn't and wouldn't go through it again.

He couldn't fail Blaine again either. He couldn't let the other boy suffer because him once again. He felt the wetness that was a salty mixture of fear, desperation and frustration drip from his face as the whole world seemed to slow to a stop.

Everything seemed to roll forward in slow motion as he realized Troy was holding him in the exact way Karofsky had the when he'd dragged him into the math classroom in order to rape him.

The world was rolling much too quickly for Blaine. Kurt had told him exactly how Karofsky had dragged him into that empty classroom. He could see the way Troy was holding the other boy and the way Kurt froze and suddenly went boneless.

As a matter of fact it was the same hold that was holding him off the ground right now. The only difference now being they weren't being dragged into a classroom, but down the halls towards the doors that led to the football field.

Blaine kicked back with his feet, feeling slight satisfaction when he connected with the jock's shin. The satisfaction was wiped away when the grip on him tightened painfully.

He could feel his heartbeat start to race. Suddenly he was so very aware of how close he was pressed to the other boy. It wasn't like Karofsky when he was trapped between his body and the lockers; there was no erection pressing into his thigh but he was pressed tight to someone and he definitely didn't want to be there. He didn't blame Kurt one bit for falling limp in the tight hold.

He was suddenly shoved away from the jock and to the turf of the football field. He pulled Kurt towards him when he saw his boyfriend being shoved down in a similar manner. "Kurt," he whispered urgently, "Are you okay?"

Kurt's eyes flickered and he nodded, clutching his hand as he lied weakly, "Yeah."

They both looked up at the jocks surrounding them. It seemed like the entire football team was there, minus those that were also in glee and Azimio. Blaine swallowed the thick lump in his throat and Kurt gulped similarly.

"Look, what the hell do you want?" Blaine asked in as brave as voice as he could muster as he tried to maneuver himself in front of Kurt.

"You and your little slut put our boy in prison," the jock named Turner growled angrily, though there was a slight smirk on his face. "So we thought it's time for a little revenge, don't you think?"

"Shut up," Blaine snapped as Kurt shuddered against him. He didn't blame the other boy for his silence. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"You're not in any position to make demands Blainey-boy," Turner smirked at him, pulling out a roll of duct tape and tossing it to one of the other jocks. "See you and your little slut are a little outnumbered here, don't you think? So maybe you should be a good little boy and just go with it."

He fought the freezing numbness that always crept into his body at the name. He couldn't give into it this time. This time he had a chance to protect his boyfriend, and he had to take it, "Look, just leave us alone."

"Like I said, Blainey, you're not in the position to make demands," Turner laughed as he took a step forward and grabbed his hair in a tight grip.

"No, stop calling me that," he whispered as his hands automatically rose to his head, trying to pull out the other hand as it dragged him away from Kurt. More hands were grabbing at him now, yanking on his shirt, pulling it over his head while others held him still.

Hands were doing the same to Kurt. One boy was holding his arms behind his back in a painful grip while another was ripping open his button down shirt and suddenly he wasn't in the football field anymore. He was pinned against the wall in the math room and Karofsky was breathing in his ear. Kurt's voice rose hoarse and shrill through the air as he shifted and squirmed in the hold, fighting as if his very life depended on it. "No! Stop!" When the voice broke into a whispered, "not again," Blaine started fighting with renewed vigor.

"Stop it now or I swear to fucking God I'll kill you. Stop touching him!" Blaine yelled tightly, trying to punch one of the other boys despite how thoroughly the hands were restraining him.

"Hold him still," Turner's voice growled and he heard the sound of a strip of duct tape being pulled off the roll. Somebody grabbed his jaw and the tape was pressed tightly over his mouth.

He cringed when his pants were yanked from him and he could feel the tears slipping down his cheeks. He couldn't do this again and he knew Kurt couldn't either.

"Look, the little fags are crying, boo hoo."

Was the football team full of sick rapists or something?

Turner's hand on his hair yanked him upward and pressed his back against the field goal post. He felt bare skin against his and suddenly he knew. This wasn't about sex or rape. They just wanted to terrify and humiliate them. They were certainly succeeding.

He heard the rip of tape again and winced as it was wrapped around his and Kurt's bodies, binding them tightly to the goal post.

His hand sought out Kurt's and squeezed it tightly.

It didn't matter if it wasn't about sex or rape. It didn't matter if the cruelty was only with the intention to humiliate; because really it was all about the fear that was roiling through their veins.

It was about the awful, dirty feeling that neither had ever truly gotten rid of, but was now back with a vengeance. It was all about the rape that Kurt was reliving so clearly that he didn't even need to close his eyes to see it and the assault that Blaine knew could have gone so much farther yet had gone way too far by just happening in the first place. They remembered the helplessness and there they were, trapped in it again.

It was never good to be helpless when in the presence of a person or group so filled with hate. They'd both learned that the hard way and apparently the lesson wasn't over.

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><p><strong>AN**: So I'm still not sure about this chapter but please let me know what you think in a review. Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9: Not a Monster

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning**: Um there's like tons of swearing in this chapter, mainly because emotions are running high for our dear characters (and the less dear ones too).

**A/N**: We're nearing closer and closer to my favourite chapter of this story! As for now, here's another one I enjoyed writing.

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><p><span>Chapter 9<span> – Not A Monster

"Dude," Azimio Adams turned his head and grinned slightly when he saw his friend and fellow football player waving him down, "Yo Az, come on. The guys and I, we've got a bit of a present for you."

Azimio chuckled slightly, this would be good. "Present huh, like what?"

"Well dude, it's like presents, plural," Kevin Turner told him with a bit of a snigger, "Come on outside to the football field."

"It's not my birthday," Azimio laughed a little as he chased after the other boy in a jog towards the football field. A crowd of people were standing around the field goal post and his laughter stopped; the smile falling from his face, "What's going on here?"

"Dude, we got the fags away from their bodyguards," Turner grinned darkly. "I thought since they put our boy in prison it was time for a little revenge, don't you think? He was your best friend, so the guys and I all agreed you get to go first."

His eyes focused on the post. Two boys were tied back to back against it and neither of them was clothed. "Go first for what? What the fuck is this?"

"Don't be a pussy Az," Turner laughed, beating a fist on his back. "We're not going to like kill them or anything; just teach 'em a lesson; don't mess with us. You get the first hit, go on."

Azimio winced as he was pushed forward towards the two boys and he noticed that both their mouths were covered in duct tape. Kurt was shifting uncomfortably in the tape staring out with wide, frightened eyes with streaks of wetness running down his face. It was obvious he was trying his hardest to keep himself together and be brave. By Azimio's standards Kurt was doing a pretty good job considering the circumstances. He was surprised Kurt wasn't sobbing brokenly even if he was sure he could hear an occasional muffled whimper. The boyfriend, whatever his name was, was struggling like his life depended on it and screaming muffled (what he assumed were) obscenities, "Why are they naked?"

"Dude, forget the questions, just do it!"

Azimio moved his hand which was shaking ever so slightly, but didn't strike at either boy. Instead he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed 9-1-1 as he growled out at the crowd of players as strongly as he could, "Since you all seem to miss Dave so much, maybe you should join him. I'm sure whoever's still here when the cops show up will probably be arrested for assault or some shit."

"What the hell Az?" Someone yelled at him, pushing at him hard and shoving the phone from his hand, "Are you a pussy fag now too? Is that it? Did the little fags turn you?"

"No Fraser, I'm just not a fucking monster," there was a satisfying crunch as his fist landed on the other boy's nose. "If you don't want to join David getting bent over in prison, I suggest you leave."

It was working, the crowd started to disperse as the team ran towards the school. Apparently none of them, despite their so-called camaraderie for David, none of them particularly wanted to join him in the big house.

He turned his head with a frown over at the two boys duct taped to the field goal post. He didn't particularly want to help them, they were naked after all, but he knew he couldn't exactly just leave them there.

He sighed and hesitantly leaned forward to tug at the tape pressed over Hummel's mouth, "Fuck Hummel, you okay?"

Kurt Hummel's eyes rose to meet him, bright blue and shining with tears and Azimio was surprised that he actually felt something when he was asked with genuine relief and confusion, "Why?"

"I don't know man," Azimio muttered with a shrug of his shoulders as he ripped the tape off what's-his-name's face. "Like I said, I'm not a monster." He wrinkled his nose, "Um I want to help you and all, but you're naked."

"Then don't look," Kurt's boyfriend suddenly spoke up, "Just get us the fuck off this thing, okay?"

"Wait, wait," Kurt said in a quiet voice, "You should get some water first- to loosen the adhesive." He swallowed thickly, "It'll hurt less that way."

"Kurt?"

"Let's just say this isn't the first time I've been duct taped to something," Kurt muttered softly, his face still wet. "First time naked though."

"Look, I can't just leave you here," Azimio muttered, looking around to make sure none of the footballers had stuck around. "I didn't actually press send when I told them I called the cops." He pulled a pocket knife out of his pocket and started sawing at the tape. "So you're just going to have to deal, okay?" There was a pause, "Where are your clothes?"

"Shit," Blaine muttered as he carefully peeled some of the cut tape off his body. "They stole our freaking clothes." He looked over at Kurt carefully, "You okay?"

Kurt shook his head and sank down in the grass, "No." He had his head in his hands and was shaking softly. "They- there were so many of them and they just- I thought." His body trembled harder, "The last time someone ripped my clothes off- and they just-" there was a pause as he tried to finish a sentence, "I was crying and they didn't care." Now that they were no longer in any immediate danger Kurt's attempts to hold himself together were unraveling.

Blaine immediately sat next to his boyfriend and drew him into a tight embrace.

"This is so weird," Azimio muttered to himself, "Two gay dudes, naked, hugging; this is a little much for me, kay?"

"Deal with it," Blaine growled at him. "Shouldn't you text his brother or something? Least Finn can bring us some clothes."

Azimio sighed and shrugged off his letterman jacket and threw it on the ground in front of the two boys, "Here. Maybe it'll make him stop crying or something."

Blaine grabbed the jacket and wrapped it around Kurt's shoulders.

Kurt slipped his arms into the impossible large sleeves and leaned back into Blaine again, before looking at Azimio as the larger boy starting texting (hopefully) Finn.

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><p><em>Football field. Now. Bring xtra clothes. 2 pairs. <em>Finn frowned at the text message he'd just gotten. It was too much like the one he'd gotten twenty minutes ago from Brittany saying Kurt and Blaine were being thrown into the dumpsters in front of the school. Except no one had been there and now he couldn't find his brother or Blaine at all and to add to all of that Brittany wasn't answering her cell phone.

"Dude, what is it?" He looked over where Puck was leaning over his shoulder to try and read the message.

"I think we were at the wrong place," Finn muttered after a moment, "You got any spare clothes?"

"I got my gym shit," Puck frowned, "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Finn shook his head, picking up his pace to a run as he stormed into the locker room. He ignored the rest of his players as he started twirling his locker combination.

He stopped for a minute, listening to the laughter. They were laughing at him. His eyes turned and he looked at his teammates and the pile of ripped clothing that was piled on the bench. He definitely recognized the colors of the two tattered shirts.

He could almost feel his body swelling with anger, getting ready to explode. He was very aware that his face was growing redder and redder with every passing moment.

He locked eyes with Puck who knelt down and looked at the garments. Puck nodded and Finn broke.

"You fucking assholes!" He screamed, lunging at the nearest guy, the running back, and sending his fist into his face. "What the fuck did you do?"

"Calm the fuck down Hudson," two of the other guys dragged him off Troy Masters and slammed him back into the lockers. "We didn't do anything. Fucking Azimio called the cops."

"Don't tell me to calm the fuck down," Finn struggled against the two boys holding him tightly against the lockers. "You can't fucking leave them alone for a second, can you? You're fucking pathetic."

He gasped when a fist snapped into his stomach and he looked over for Puck, and somehow without him noticing, three or four of the other players had managed to get the mohawked teen pinned to the wall.

"You and your fucking fags got our boy locked up Hudson," Kevin Turner was in Finn's face; spit flying into his face as he snapped. "Your pathetic little _brother_ and his fuck toy screwed with us because he couldn't take a few shoves into the lockers. He's the one who's pathetic. He can't even fucking walk down the halls without his big brother or his friends with him."

"Karofsky fucking _raped_ him," Finn growled, pulling at the boys pinning him. "Your friend fucking raped my brother then he stomped on my fucking chest and tried to rape someone else. He fucking pinned Kurt, just like you got me pinned now. He pinned Blaine too, the exact same fucking way. He's a fucking rapist and you assholes aren't much better."

"Dude," one of the other players spoke up uncertainly, taking his hands off Finn. "This is getting way too intense." There was a pause, "I'm not- I'd never-" He looked at Finn nervously, "I'm sorry, dude."

Finn pushed off the other guy and took a threatening step towards Turner, "You fucking stripped them, didn't you? You fucking stripped two kids half your size, one who'd been raped, the other who barely escaped it. Did they cry? Did they beg? Did that make you feel fucking powerful? Huh, Turner; 'cause that's what Karofsky said when he confessed in court. Are you a rapist in training? Is that it?"

"Fuck you Hudson," Turner snapped, shoving the other boy hard in the chest.

Finn gasped as the pain in his ribs flared up. He gritted his teeth together, "You're pathetic," he growled lowly. "You pick on kids who are smaller than you and the bigger kids well you need someone to hold them down, don't you?"

"I don't see anyone holding you down Hudson," Turner let out a bitter laugh, shoving Finn hard again.

"Yeah, fighting a dude with two broken ribs, you're _so_ strong," Finn mocked as he slammed against the lockers again. He wondered how the hell Kurt had put up with it for so long. That fucking hurt.

"I could kick your ass-"

"Go ahead," Finn laughed bitterly, "Show everyone what a coward you are. Go on big man, show 'em."

"Fuck this," Turner snapped, turning away from Finn as if to leave, but Finn grabbed him by the shoulder and swung him around.

"No, you don't get to leave," Finn pushed him roughly, sending him stumbling over the locker room bench. "You're going to show everyone how much a coward you are. Go on, try and kick my ass. I'm bigger than you maybe, but how hard should it be?"

Kevin Turner looked up at him, his eyes suddenly wide, reflecting fear at the anger in the taller boy's eyes. "Leave me alone Hudson. I'm out of here and I'll leave your faggy brother alone, alright?"

"Leave you alone?" Finn laughed and suddenly even Puck was looking at him oddly. He was even kind of surprised by the coldness of his voice. "Did Kurt ask you to leave him alone? Did Blaine?" There was only silence and he raised his voice, "Did they?"

"Y-yes," Turner murmured as he scrambled to his feet.

"And did you?"

"No," he said even more quietly, taking a step back.

"Then I guess you're pretty fucking lucky I'm not you, aren't you?" Finn asked coldly, his head jerking towards the door. "Get fucking lost Turner. I don't want to see you at this school anymore. You can transfer, drop out, I don't fucking care; just don't come back."

Turner nearly tripped a total of three times as he scrambled out of the locker room. The rest of the team, somewhat in shock, followed after him. Apparently despite his two still healing ribs and being severely outnumbered, none of them wanted to be caught in the locker room with him.

"Dude," Puck brushed himself off slightly, "That was fucking awesome; scary as hell, but awesome."

"We don't have time for this," Finn growled at the other boy, getting his locker open and pulling out his gym clothes. They wouldn't exactly fit Kurt or Blaine, but he figured that fit wasn't important at the moment.

Puck raised his hands in surrender, "Alright, sorry man." He grabbed his own gym clothing and followed as Finn rushed out onto the football field.

When Finn saw the strips of duct tape clinging to the field goal and how Kurt was wrapped up in a letterman jacket, crying in his boyfriend's arms, his anger swelled again. He turned his head at Azimio, "What the hell?"

"Wasn't me," Azimio told him immediately, rising to his feet. He looked uncomfortably between his two teammates and the two boys sitting on the ground. "Umm, Hummel can keep my jacket. I- uh- I don't think I want it anymore." His eyes found the ground, "Not 'cause he's gay or whatever; just cause I don't want to play football anymore, not with those guys."

Finn didn't bother to watch as the other boy took off, but instead he knelt down next to Kurt and Blaine, asking softy, "You guys okay?"

"No," Kurt mumbled as he quickly shoved on the gym shorts Finn had given to him, tightening the waistband with the tie so they didn't slip off his hips. "Fuck- I-"

"Here," Finn handed him the shirt, hoping being fully clothed might help his brother's plight a little bit. The swear that had slipped from Kurt's lips was an obvious sign that he was in serious distress. Finn sank down in the grass next to his brother, "I'm sorry Kurt. I'm sorry I broke my promise." He shook his head, "They- they must have stolen Brittany's phone, because I thought you were out by the dumpsters."

He helped his brother to his feet and immediately brought him forward into a tight embrace, just holding him for a long moment as Puck reached down a hand to pull Blaine to his feet.

Puck looked awkwardly at Blaine, who was now decked out in his gym clothes that were practically swimming on him. He looked a little shell shocked now that the adrenaline was wearing off and raised a hand to pat his shoulder, but thought better of it when the shorter boy gave a violent flinch.

The guy definitely looked like he could use a comforting embrace, but Puck barely even knew him. Plus he was pretty sure that Blaine wouldn't really appreciate a pity hug from him.

He was saved by the dilemma when Finn broke contact with his brother and gently stepped over to Blaine and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, asking, "You gonna be alright man?"

Blaine gave a small nod, before hugging the taller boy with a desperation neither of them knew was possible and just relishing the comfort of someone other than his boyfriend or aunt being willing to hold him. He pulled back rather quickly despite that and spoke in a hoarse voice, "We should get out of here."

"Did you guys happen to see Brittany?" Puck asked, concern pervading his voice considering their naïve friend, "'Cause since we got that text from her, we haven't been able to reach her."

"If they laid a hand on her," Kurt growled suddenly, the anger in his voice looking out of place with the tear streaked state of his face and the reddened rims around his eyes. "I swear- I swear I'll kill them."

"Sure you will," Finn assured him in a placating tone, wrapping an arm protectively around his brother's shoulders, "but first, are you hurt?"

Kurt shook his head, his body shaking slightly, "No. I'm just- I'm just-"

"Hey," Finn folded him into another tight hug, "It's okay. It's over now." He drew away, but kept his arm around his brother, "We need to find Brittany and then we need to talk to Coach Beiste. She's gonna be furious when she finds out what happened here."

"Okay," Kurt mumbled, moving from under Finn's shoulders and seeking Blaine out instead, hugging the shorter boy to him. "You okay?" He asked his boyfriend in a soft voice.

Blaine nuzzled his neck, hiding his face for a moment, before nodding softly while he whispered, "I'm fine."

"Liar," Kurt accused in a soft tone as they began walking towards the school building. Finn was walking ahead of them and Puck behind just in case any members of the football team had chosen to stick around.

"Yeah," he admitted, slipping his hand into Kurt's, "You're right."

Kurt didn't speak, instead he just intertwined his fingers with Blaine's and gave his hand a gentle squeeze as they stepped through the doorway where Finn was holding the door open.

Almost immediately the attention of all four boys was drawn to the janitor's closet down the hall where they could hear someone banging on the door and a familiar, usually sweet voice, crying to be let out.

"Fuck," Puck growled, racing to the closet and trying to yank it open. "Britt," the mohawked boy called into the closet, "Is that you Britt? It's Puck!"

"Puck! Please let me out. I don't want to be here anymore," the girl cried out softly.

"I need you to back away from the door," he ordered her, "Get in a corner and make yourself small, okay?"

Puck waited for the girl to let out a soft answer of "kay" before ramming himself against the door by his shoulder. The door shuddered under the pressure, but didn't give way. He rammed against it again and the wood cracked slightly. It wasn't until the third hit that the framing broke and the door was forced inward.

Brittany flew from the closet and into Puck's arms, burrowing her face in his chest, "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," she was whispering desperately, soaking his shirt slightly, "It was so dark in there and- oh my God Kevin's evil. He's going to hurt Kurt and Blaine and I don't want them to get hurt again. Kurt's already so sad and-"

"Britt-Britt," Kurt spoke tentatively, "Blaine and I are right here. You don't have to worry about us, okay?"

"Kurtie?" She asked really quiet, turning her head to look at him, "Kevin didn't- he didn't find you, right?" She looked down at his clothes, "Why are you wearing really big clothes?"

"Um, Britt," Kurt kept his voice soft, "Kevin found us, but we're okay now."

"Why are you wearing really big clothes? Where are yours?" Large tear drops were slipping down her cheeks, "They didn't make you have sex again, did they?" And all over again the girl was sobbing and Puck was rubbing her back awkwardly.

"No, they just stole their clothes and were mean to them," Puck comforted her softly, not giving Kurt a chance to speak. It was obvious that Brittany's blatant and tearful allusion to the rape had stunned Kurt.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered again, looking at Kurt, "I helped them, but I didn't know. I swear I didn't know. Kurtie I'm so sorry. I didn't want them to hurt you, but I was stupid and I didn't know and then when I did I couldn't stop them." There was a pause, "I was so stupid."

Kurt took a few long strides towards the tall blonde he'd 'dated' the year before. Despite that he hadn't really been interested in her romantically; he had always genuinely cared about her. He opened his arms to her and drew her close to him, "You're not stupid Britt. Stuff just happens. It's not your fault." He rubbed small circles in her back, "They locked you in a closet, so I know you figured them out. You tried to stop them Britt, that's what matters, okay?"

"No one's supposed to hurt you. You're my dolphin," she murmured, squeezing him back like her life depended on her arms being around him.

"I know. I'm proud to be your dolphin Britt," he told her, relishing the slight pain that came with her tight embrace. It reminded him he was there; that he hadn't disappeared down some deep chasm of emptiness where the monsters could claw him apart.

"Guys, we really got to find a teacher before they all leave," Finn reminded them quietly, "Preferably Coach Beiste or Mr. Shue or something."

Kurt kept an arm around Brittany and took Blaine's hand again. Between the two of them he was grounded.

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><p><strong>AN**: Hey it's on time for once! Thank my university and the free wi-fi they provide throughout campus! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave me a review!


	10. Chapter 10: I'm Not Okay

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning**: I actually don't think there's any swearing in this chapter, or at least not much. However like every chapter there's a warning for mentions of non-con.

**A/N**: So my head-canon has Carole has a nurse. I hope no one has a problem with that. Oh and I forgot to mention in the last chapter that I did end up getting the idea from Criminal Minds, so kudos to jackalakala who was the only person who guessed correctly.

Also, this chapter is the longest yet. It's over 4000 words in just content. It was shorter before but I realized that I had nothing on the reactions of the teachers and went back and wrote some scenes. However I'm not sure how great they are since I find it difficult to write for Sue and Coach Beiste. Also I wrote them, and am writing this in the midst of having a fever, so I hope everything made sense!

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><p><span>Chapter 10<span> – I'm Not Okay

The five students found Coach Beiste leaving the locker room with a pile of ripped and tattered clothes held up in her hands along with a look of confusion and dread lining her face.

Her eyes locked on the students and the baggy gym wear two of them were clad in. The look crumpled into complete and utter horror when she realized just whose clothing she was holding. She looked straight at Kurt and Blaine for an answer, "What happened?"

"The football team," Finn spoke up roughly, "That's what happened."

She looked between the five of them; taking in Brittany's tearstained face and the tremors that were shooting through Kurt along with the tension in his and Blaine's muscles. There was a rigidness in Finn and Puck as well that screamed their anger as well as their protectiveness. "Tell me exactly what happened."

"I think Kurt, Blaine and Brittany need to sit down first," Puck said in a soft tone.

"We should talk to the principal too," Finn added his body relaxing slightly now that they were in the presence of an adult; particularly one who actually cared like Coach Beiste.

"Alright, Principal Figgins should still be around," the coach told them in a voice that sounded outwardly calm, but the slight treble of anger was still apparent. It was obvious that she had at the very least an idea of what had gone down.

She ushered them towards the office and motioned for them to sit down on the couches that lay in the outer area of the office. "Kids, I need you to tell me what happened now. Do I need to call the police?"

"No," Kurt blurted immediately as a tremor of fear slipped into his voice. "No. We don't need the police. We- we just need it to stop, that's all."

"What to stop?"

"The- the team," Kurt murmured after a moment. "They-they won't let it go."

"What did my team do?" Coach Beiste asked in a low voice. There was a clear contempt in her tone as she spoke of her football team.

Kurt just shook his head and looked to Blaine.

Blaine licked his lips carefully and recounted as swiftly as possible, "They duct taped us to the flag pole and locked Brittany in a closet."

"What?" The creases around the coach's eyes deepened as her face seemed to scrunch up in fury.

"That's not all Coach," Finn added since Blaine seemed to be leaving out the most humiliating part of it all. "They stripped them naked first- before duct taping them I mean."

She pressed her lips together in a tight line, "Principal Figgins will probably be here in a minute. He's usually here by this time." There was a pause in the deadly calm of her voice, "Would you say the students involved are still here?"

"I- maybe," Finn shrugged his shoulders quietly. "It wasn't that long ago."

"Who was involved?" She asked abruptly as she looked towards the door and the hallway.

"Um, pretty much everybody but Mike, Artie, Sam, us and Azimio," Finn explained to the coach readily.

"I have to go speak to a couple students. You wait here for Principal Figgins," she muttered darkly, before moving in the general direction of the locker room.

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><p>Kurt sat on the couch in the all too familiar room, peering out to where Principal Figgins was looking very uncomfortable and nervous. His eyes turned to Blaine, whose hand he was still clutching tightly.<p>

The other boy's knee was shaking up and down nervously and when he noticed Kurt's gaze, he squeezed his hand gently. Almost at the same time Brittany leaned into his shoulder. The girl was no longer crying, but her face was downturned and she kept herself glued to his side.

Finn was just kind of staring at him from across the room, like he was afraid he'd shatter at any moment. Puck had taken off approximately twenty minutes earlier, muttering something about catching up with Kevin.

"What kind of school is this?" He winced automatically as he heard his father before he saw him. "Don't you have any control over any of your students?"

He was slightly surprised when he heard a female voice (since no one had been able to contact Carole due to an emergency at the hospital) chime in angrily, "What the hell is going on in this school? You'd think after what happened last time you'd have some kind of anti-harassment policy going on, but you just can't get your head out of your ass long enough to do something about it, can you?"

Blaine was noticeably more surprised, his head whipping around at the sound of his aunt's voice. His mouth dropped open softly.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked in a quiet voice, "What's wrong?"

Blaine shook his head, "Nothing. I'm fine."

Kurt frowned at him, not really believing the other boy, but his father's increased volume caught his attention and he immediately rose from his chair and ran into the Principal's office. His presence stalled all the yelling and all three adults in the room stared at him.

"Dad," Kurt spoke in a quiet voice, "You need to be careful-"

"I'm fine," Burt cut off his son softly, his eyes taking in the oversized clothes Kurt was wearing, "You need to stop worrying about me Kurt. It's my job to worry about you, okay?"

"Dad-"

"I'm serious," Burt told him firmly as he placed a hand on his shoulder. His father turned to look at Principal Figgins again, "and I'm dead serious when I say that I better see some Goddamn change in this school, starting with some serious punishment for the boys who attacked my son and his boyfriend."

"I think nothing less than expulsion would be sufficient," Marina Anderson added darkly. "I would hate to see any of those students being allowed to share a classroom with my nephew ever again."

"The boy who planned the attack will certainly be expelled," Figgins voice wavered slightly as he spoke, "The other boys will be suspended for the rest of the school year and will have their sports privileges revoked for the remainder of their high school careers."

"They practically kidnapped two boys and forcibly removed their clothing before duct taping them to a goal post and you think that a measly one week suspension is enough?" Marina's voice lowered dangerously, "Is that what you call punishment?"

"The suspensions include their examinations and it's on top of whether you or Mr. Hummel here decide to press charges against the boys-" Figgin's began, but Kurt immediately shook his head.

"Dad," Kurt murmured in a soft voice, "I don't want to go through with another trial."

There was a grumble under his breath, but after a moment his father spoke quietly, "Alright, then you don't have to. I guess we'll just have to suffice with what Principal Figgins here has suggested."

Kurt frowned, his eyes being drawn over to the door where Azimio was standing looking uncertain of something. "I think someone's at the door."

Figgins gestured for the boy to come in.

Kurt had never seen the bigger boy look more awkward or uncomfortable.

"What seems to be the problem Mr. Adams?" Figgins asked after a moment, "I certainly hope you weren't involved in the unfortunate incident that took place this afternoon."

"I wouldn't say involved," Azimio shrugged, "I just kind of broke it up. Um, but I think Mr. Hummel needs to know that I don't think it was Kevin's idea really." He looked between the three adults in the room and purposely avoided looking at Kurt, "I went to visit – um – Karofsky last week and he wanted me to help him in some kind of revenge plot. I said no and I thought- well I thought no one would help him if I didn't."

"So you knew this was going to happen and you didn't do anything about it?" Marina sniped at the boy, her hands on her hips and her eyes blazing. Considering the look on her face Kurt didn't blame the bigger boy at all for shrinking back at the petite woman's glare.

"No- I-" Azimio shook his head, "I didn't know this was going to happen, but um- since it did- I figured you should know who's really behind it."

"I'll have a discussion with Mr. Turner about the mastermind behind this prank," Figgins tried to sound confident, but merely got a glare from both Marina and Burt at the word 'prank'. Kurt found himself stiffening at the use of the word.

This had been no prank.

"However I would suggest," Figgins continued quietly, trying to save some face, "That no one tells Mr. Turner of your intention not to press charges until he tells the truth about who planned this attack."

Almost at that particular moment a tall woman burst into the room with Santana at her side. Both the middle aged blonde and the teen Latina looked absolutely furious.

"Alright, before I _ends_ our principal here I'd like to announce that there's gonna be a Glee meeting tomorrow," Santana looked directly at Kurt, "It's gonna be right after school. Spread the word." She turned to the blonde woman, "Kay, we can ends him now."

The woman gave Principal Figgins a dark glare, "Mr. Figgins."

"Ah, Mrs. Pierce," Figgins grimaced as more loud, and decidedly more shrill, yells began to assail the ears of everyone in the room, and everyone in the general vicinity.

* * *

><p>"Sue I need your expertise," Mr. Schue burst into the cheerleading coach's office unannounced and without ceremony.<p>

Coach Sylvester looked 'slightly' outraged at his unannounced arrival but merely raised an eyebrow at his request for her expertise. She took in his appearance. His hair had flyaways and there were worry lines in his forehead and the rest of his face. There was also something undeterminable in his eyes that reminded her a little of herself when she was in a rage. She took it all in before speaking in her usual tone, "I was wondering when you'd show up asking me how to be a winner, but sorry I just can't help you until all the butter has been removed from your ridiculously curly hair."

"Don't you even care?" Mr. Schue asked as his mouth dropped open slightly. He couldn't remember a time when he'd ever felt more unadulterated contempt for the woman in front of him. "Two of those kids used to be your Cheerios."

If it was at all possible Sue Sylvester actually looked genuinely confused. "Listen Schuester," she said dispassionately, "Either tell me what's got your panties in such a twist or get out of my office."

The rage slowly, but not completely drained from Mr. Schue and he said in an oddly disjointed tone, "You really- don't know?" The contempt crept back into his voice, "I thought _Sue Sylvester_ knew everything that goes on at McKinley High?"

"Tell me what happened Will," Sue ordered, dropping all pretense and using his first name which was a somewhat unusual occurrence for her. "Something happen to one of your Glee kids?" The last time she'd seen him like this had been because of something awful happening to one of his kids, to Porcelain; she could only imagine what had happened this time.

"Three of them," Mr. Schue spat out; more angry at the kids who'd participated in the attack than at Sue for not knowing. "A majority of the football team thought it would be funny to lock poor Brittany in a closet-"

A slight redness started creeping up Sue's neck but she allowed him to continue.

"-and use her phone to distract my students so they could get Kurt and Blaine alone-"

The redness reached upwards, crawling up her face.

"-so they could strip them and duct tape them naked to a flag pole. Obviously you understand how that is unbelievably cruel to do to any child, let alone to those two who are still struggling with the events a few months ago."

The redness reached her ears and the roots of her hair and she asked in a deadly calm voice, "And what kind of expertise were you looking for William?"

"Figgins is letting the team off too easy. You've manipulated him before. I want those kids expelled and a new no harassment policy that's enforced and implemented immediately."

"They locked Brittany Pierce in a closet and messed with Porcelain and Eyebrows?" She asked but didn't allow him an answer, "Are you sure you wouldn't like me to do a little more?"

"More?" Mr. Schue asked softly.

"Yes, Schue; more," she growled in a dark voice.

"Sue-" he began.

"Consider it done," she cut him off firmly. "Now get out of my office."

Schue left; wondering slightly if he'd accidentally took out a hit (something he wouldn't put past Sue) and was surprised to find he hardly cared.

* * *

><p>Blaine fell into his bed the moment he got home and dropped his phone as it flashed the 'new text message from <em>Wes<em>' alert. It landed with a small thud onto his night table and he turned away from it.

He certainly didn't want to talk to either Wes or David right now. He just wanted to sleep and pretend that everything that had happened that day _hadn't._

He felt the side of the mattress sink in a flinched slightly when a hand slid onto his shoulder, "Blaine, sweetie-"

"I'm not in the mood to talk right now Auntie," he told her in a hoarse voice, "I'm really tired."

"Alright," she told him quietly, patting his arm, "but you should really think about answering your friends' messages. They miss you and they're worried about you."

"They don't need to be worried, I'm fine," he mumbled the lie into his pillow, wishing desperately that she'd just leave him alone. "I'm fine."

"You can say it all you want, but that doesn't make it true," she told him in a soft voice. He felt her pressed a kiss atop his head as the depression in his mattress eased as she rose. "And it's okay to not be okay. No one would be, especially after today."

"I'm fine," he mumbled again, "Go away."

He heard her let out a sad, soft sigh before stepping away from the bed. "I'm not sure what's worse, Blaine, the fact that you're lying to me or that you insist on lying to yourself."

He turned over on the bed as his door closed and grasped his hand around the phone.

Was he really lying to himself? He knew he wasn't exactly happy in his life at the moment and that things were difficult, but did that mean he wasn't fine? He was okay, he was surviving and that was enough.

Kurt needed him to stay strong and he needed to be fine to be strong.

His fingers tightened around the phone and he fought against the tiny wet pinpricks in the corners of his eyes. The problem was being fine, being strong and keeping himself together took up so much of his energy. It was so Goddamn hard. "I'm not okay," he whispered to himself softly and hoped his aunt was right and it _was_ okay to not be okay.

Carefully he read the message Wes had sent him.

_I don't care how long u ignore me. I'm going to keep texting u. Answer me!_

He swallowed the lump in his throat and let his fingers slowly type out a message to his friend. _Can I come visit tomorrow?_

The response was almost immediate. _Yes!_

He smiled slightly at the message and set his phone back down on the nightstand, before curling up on the bed.

He wasn't okay, not by a long shot, no matter how many times he said he was but he did miss his friends at Dalton and it certainly couldn't hurt to visit them.

* * *

><p>Kurt slipped upstairs silently merely moments after stepping foot into his house. He found a slight amount of comfort as he got into some of his own clothes, or rather pajamas. He wasn't short in the same way that Blaine was, but Finn's clothes still swam on him.<p>

He'd hoped that he'd feel marginally more like himself, saner, now that he was in his own clothing. He sat on the edge of his bed and took in a few deep breaths.

It was so much easier to hold himself together when so much was going on, but now that he was alone, thoughts and images were sliding through his brain at a pace that nothing, not even his own clothing could make him feel sane; or safe for that matter.

When he could hear the angry parents (he included Blaine's aunt in that label, considering she was being more of a parent than Blaine's real parents were) yelling at least there had been something to distract him from the events of the day. At least Blaine had been there for him to hold onto, even if they were more holding onto each other than anything else.

"Dude," he looked up at the voice, knowing instantaneously it was his step-brother both by the tone and the irritating slang he always used, "You alright?"

"What do you think?" Kurt snapped automatically

"No?" Finn asked awkwardly, stepping into the room and settling himself beside Kurt on the bed. "Kurt, like I know you're not alright, but-"

"I know," Kurt stopped him, slightly apologetic. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. I just- I thought this was supposed to be over by now."

"I hate to tell you, but I don't think it'll ever be over the way you want it to be," Finn told him with a shrug, "It's like you can't go back in time and you're probably always going to remember it and stuff."

"Way to make me feel better," Kurt growled softly despite that he still leant towards his brother.

"Just telling the truth, man," Finn explained softly. "I'm just saying, you're always going to remember it, but you don't have to let it, take you over or anything."

"Neither do you," Kurt reminded him, poking his brother in the side slightly, "You're not dealing with this any better than I am."

"I know," Finn shrugged softly, "but at least I figured that out." The taller boy's voice dropped softly, "I seriously scared myself today. I was so angry when I found out what they did. I wanted to kill Kevin. Hell if I'd been alone with him I might have- and before- I hurt Rachel bad. I never wanted to hurt her. I hate Karofsky. I hate how angry he's made me. I hate being angry, Kurt. I hate how it makes me someone I'm not and I hate that I hurt her. Mostly I hate how I seem to hate everything."

"Maybe you could talk to Dr. MacLeod about it?" Kurt suggested in a soft voice, wary of Finn's reaction.

"Yeah," Finn agreed in an equally soft tone, "I think I could manage that." He gave Kurt an impromptu hug, ignoring his slight flinch. "I love you bro, alright?"

Kurt made a face at him and rolled his eyes slightly, "I love you too _bro_."

* * *

><p>"Alright, everyone's here," Santana announced as Rachel flounced into the room and took a seat purposefully on the opposite side of the room as Finn. "Not that starting without Man Hands wouldn't be a plus, but whatever- at least everyone's here."<p>

"You want to tell us what's going on?" Quinn cut in, a hand sweeping through her short hair, "I thought Glee was over for the year and now you're dragging us all back in here?"

Santana pressed her mouth shut for a moment, "Look, just let me talk Q." She looked at all the people she loosely defined as friends. "I called you all here because of what happened yesterday. I assume you all heard about it."

There were several growls throughout the room and both Kurt and Blaine stiffened slightly at the mention. Brittany choked back a small sob.

"Britt, come here," Santana beckoned the blonde softly with a smile and took her hand when Brittany came to stand beside her. With Brittany at her side, she addressed the rest of the glee members and her teacher, "Well what happened yesterday made me realize something. All this self-hate and homophobia is just getting people that I-" she looked at Kurt and forced herself to say the words, "care about hurt."

She took a deep breath before continuing, "and I guess I realized I'm part of the problem. All this 'in the closet' bullshit started all this and I don't want to be angry anymore."

She turned to Brittany and squeezed her hand, "I'm in love with you Brittany and I'm ready to tell the world, or at least our friends in Glee." She looked at the club, "I'm a lesbian and if you laugh at me I will destroy you."

"You really told people," Brittany whispered in a soft voice as she threw her arms around Santana. "You really told everyone you love me." A bright, happy smile lit up the blonde's face for the first time since the night before.

"Yeah Britt, I did," Santana squeezed her back, "I don't care about anything else but you and maybe some of the other people in this room- possibly."

"Can I be your girlfriend now?" Brittany asked softly, cocking her head to the side.

"Sweetie," Santana told her, her voice gentle in the way that was reserved just for the blonde, "Now and forever if that's alright with you?"

Brittany grinned and kissed her in full view of the club.

"Finally," Quinn's voice spoke up with a sigh, a smile hidden behind her supposedly sarcastic words, "Now the rest of us can stop pretending we don't know."

"What do you mean?" Santana asked, managing to tear her lips from her girlfriend's.

"San, I hate to say this," Quinn told her in a way that sounded like she was actually enjoying the words quite a bit, "but you guys are kind of obvious. I know I've known longer than _you_ have. I'm pretty sure Rachel figured it out during Landslide. The only people who probably didn't figure it out are Finn, Sam and Puck. Finn mostly because he can be an idiot most of the time-"

"Hey-" Finn started to complain, but was silenced by a glare from his ex-girlfriend.

"-Puck because if he knew his head would explode from the fantasies and there'd be bits of Mohawk everywhere, and Sam because he's got a lot more important things on his mind than your sexuality; that and you used to make out with him," Quinn finished, sounding somewhat pleased with herself.

"Look Q-" Santana began, her voice dark and irate.

"Oh shut up San. I'm _happy_ for you, okay?" Quinn rolled her eyes at the girl and let out a soft laugh, "Not everyone hates you, okay? At least they wouldn't if you didn't expect them to."

"Love you too Q," Santana managed to mutter sarcastically, despite that her lips were curving upward slightly. She stifled the smile.

"I think one girlfriend is enough for you," Quinn teased her good-naturedly.

"Congrats on coming out Santana," Kurt spoke up, breaking through the semi-friendly banter between the two girls, "but I have to ask, is this unofficial Glee meeting over?"

She rolled her eyes, "Yes Kurt, you can leave now."

He smiled at her and hugged both her and Brittany momentarily, "I'm really proud of you two, you know that right?"

"Let me guess, you knew too?" Santana asked in a wry voice.

"I guessed," Kurt told her with a shrug, "but I didn't assume. I'll admit my gaydar is a bit faulty at times."

"Yeah," her voice was uncharacteristically soft, "I'm still really sorry about everything, you know-"

"Shut up Santana," he smiled weakly at her, "There's nothing to be sorry about. I've got to go. Maybe I'll see you around this summer." He pulled away from her and accepted Blaine's awaiting hand before the two boys, closely followed by Finn and Puck, disappeared from the choir room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Well there you go, chapter 10. It's not my favourite chapter because that's reserved for the next one! Please leave me a review telling me what you thought. Thanks!


	11. Chapter 11: He's Your Son

**Summary: **Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning**: This chapter has mentions of non-con, swearing and severe bullying.

**A/N**: This chapter is even longer than the last (and a little early since I won't have time to post tomorrow) and was one of my favorite chapters mainly because Marina kicks some ass in it. Her character is actually dedicated to my own Auntie Marina, although there are huge differences between the character and the woman who was the real person. Blaine's aunt is just way more serious than my aunt (and childhood hero) ever was, but they do have the same amazing generosity.

Also I'd like to address something. I understand that some readers are a little concerned that Blaine has been getting a lot of attention. I'll agree to a point considering 'Invisible' was almost purely focused on Kurt; however, please have a little patience as it is quite intentional and I have plans for Kurt. It's just that I intended this story to not just be about Kurt but to delve into how the situation has affected some of the other characters as well. An event like sexual abuse has serious implications that extend further than just the victim, even if they're the one who is affected the most. There's ignorance, anger, guilt, heartbreak, etcetera, that has to be dealt with. When someone is sexually abused there is fallout that affects the victim and _everyone_ around them. I know I can't portray everyone's responses, but I am doing my best to portray those of the people who were the most closely involved like Blaine, Kurt and Finn.

I hate to disappoint those people, but this chapter is a bit Blaine-centric (actually it's not too unequal. There are 2800 words of Blaine stuff and 2100 of Kurt/ brotherly Furt stuff). Also after this chapter the amount focused on Blaine actually decreases quite a bit as some of Kurt's insecurities move forward because of the flagpole incident.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 11<span> – He's Your Son

"Blainey!" David announced happily when he saw his friend step through the doorway of Wes's house.

Blaine stopped in the doorway, looking somewhat frozen. He didn't say a word, just stared at David.

"Blaine," Wes let his voice break through, "Are you coming in or what?"

Blaine shook his head for a moment, looking slightly bewildered before stepping all the way into his friend's house and closing the door behind him. "Sorry, I guess I zoned out for a moment there."

"Cut the bullshit," Wes growled at him, gesturing towards the living room. "You've been ignoring us for weeks and we know things are messed up, so stop pretending that they aren't, okay?"

Blaine shrugged his shoulders and followed his friends into the living room. "Whatever, man."

"You've been around Kurt's brother too long," David muttered under his breath at Blaine's use of the word 'man'.

Blaine sat on the couch, "I didn't come over to have you guys complain about who I spend or don't spend my time with, okay?"

"Why did you decide to start answering our messages again, anyways?" David asked softly, his dark eyes catching Blaine's.

Blaine shrugged, "Some things happened yesterday, and you know, I missed you guys. I guess I realized I was being stupid by ignoring you guys when you were just trying to be good friends." He let out a sigh, "Can we just hang out now, instead of interrogating me?"

"Sorry," Wes told him, not sounding sorry in the slightest, "but I'm afraid that's not going to happen just yet. Blaine we need some answers."

He let out an irritated growl, "Fine, what do you want to know?"

"What exactly happened?" The other boy's voice softened, "We know something happened and we want to be there for you Blaine, but we can't if we don't know what we're doing or what happened."

Blaine's shoulders slumped downward and his throat felt like it was choking up as he forced the words from his lips. If there was one thing he realized from yesterday, it was that telling himself he was fine and lying to everyone else was doing him no favors. "Karofsky threatened Kurt. He told Kurt that if Kurt told anyone that he would-" he paused and shook his head. "Guys can we please not do this now?"

"If you don't tell us now, you never will and we all know that," David pressed softly. "We know it's hard, but it's us- it's me and Wes. You can trust us with this; with anything."

"He told Kurt he would rape me too if Kurt told anyone," Blaine explained in a thick voice. "He'd already told Finn by this point and then Finn told me. Well- he tried to tell me, in the end I had to put two and two together because Finn was too angry to say it and Kurt was too afraid that Karofsky would hurt me if he did."

"That's not all that happened, is it?" Wes broke in, his voice quiet. "It can't be. The charge- it wasn't uttering a threat."

"No it wasn't," Blaine agreed quietly, his eyes looking towards the floor rather than at either of his friends. "I forgot one of my books and went back to get it, by myself, which was stupid. He found me and well- stuff happened."

"Blaine," Wes's voice was barely more than a whisper, "What do you mean stuff?"

"He pinned me to the lockers and well," Blaine tried to shrug it off; "he gave me a hickey and wouldn't let me go. He was going to-" he stopped himself there and said instead, "It's really not that bad compared to what he did to Kurt-"

"Why'd he stop?" David asked, cutting him off. The other boy was definitely aware that there was more to the encounter than Blaine was telling them.

"Well he heard Finn calling out because he was looking for me," Blaine explained softly. "So he just punched me and told me to keep my mouth shut before taking off."

"I don't know why you think it wasn't that bad," Wes was shaking his head. "Considering you knew what he was capable of and there was no way you could have known then that Finn would show up; that sounds terrifying."

"It kind of was," Blaine admitted in a soft voice, "to be totally honest." He lowered his head again and managed to spit out the strained words, "He kept going on about how I was just like Kurt and how easy it was for him to just- I could feel him, you know? He pressed himself so close to me and I could feel it against my leg and I just knew. I could feel that he wanted- that he would have- he was going to do it. He thought that hallway was empty. I thought it was empty too."

"Not that bad, huh?" Wes asked again, sitting close beside his friend and carefully patting his knee. "It sounds to me like someone's been trying to convince themself as much as everyone else."

Tears were pricking at his eyes and Blaine found himself without enough energy to fight them. Instead he just whispered, "I kept struggling, but there was nothing I could do. He was too strong and I was _helpless_."

David was sitting on his other side now, looking with concern at the tearstains on his face. "Blainey-"

"No!" Blaine yelled sounding desperate and frightened and both emotions were reflected just as clearly in his widened eyes. He was pushing away from the other boy and by default closer to Wes, "Don't call me that. Don't call me that. Just don't."

"I- Blaine-" David stopped softly, "I'm sorry. I didn't know you hated it so much."

"I-" he found himself breaking down as a pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders quietly, "Karof- he kept calling me that and every time- it's like I'm there again and I hate it. I hate it." He shook his head, "So fucking weak. Kurt needs someone strong-"

"Shut up," Wes growled, hugging him a little more tightly and allowing him to continue crying, "You're not weak you dumbass. There's a difference between hurt and weak. Crying doesn't make you weak and neither does needing your friends."

"We're here for you," David added in a quiet voice, "whether you want us to be or not."

"I-I don't know what to say," Blaine whispered in a soft voice, swallowing thickly.

"A simple 'thank you' would suffice," Wes joked softly, keeping one arm around Blaine's shoulders as the other boy drew back from the embrace slightly.

"Thank you," he smiled weakly, his face streaked with trails of salty tears.

"Anytime," Wes told him, sounding very sincere, before getting serious, "Now you said something happened yesterday?"

"I'm sure you've had enough of me crying," Blaine murmured, instead of explaining about the so-called prank that had taken place.

"My shirt's already wet," Wes shrugged his shoulders as he motioned to the slight wet spot near his shoulder, "so just tell us already."

Blaine looked between his two friends for a moment. Wes sitting there with an arm wrapped comfortingly around his shoulder, looking concerned as his eyes peered at him. David's hand had settled just above his knee, looking just as concerned.

No one at McKinley was so comfortable around him, touching him, except for Kurt and then yesterday Finn had surprised him. The others; they would hug Kurt or give him friendly pats on the back or shoulder, but not him. He supposed it was because he was new and they weren't too sure of him yet, but it just felt like he was unwanted, or merely an extension of his boyfriend to them. Yet here he was with two straight guys who not only cared about him, but found nothing wrong with a friendly, platonic touch.

Then he quietly opened his mouth and explained to his two concerned (soon to be outraged) best friends about the attack that had been organized by the majority of the football team the day before.

* * *

><p>Kurt sat down for dinner with his family, his fingers clutched around his cell phone. Today; it was sometime today that he was supposed to get the much awaited results of his testing.<p>

His leg started bouncing up and down nervously and he immediately crossed his other leg over it, hoping that it would quell the shaking.

"Are you alright Sweetie?" Carole asked him in a concerned voice as she placed a plate of salmon steak and steamed vegetables in front of him. "You look like you're ready to bolt."

He forced up a smile, "I'm fine. I'm just- impatient and scared- well terrified really. Who am I kidding I am so far from fine."

All three of the other members of his family stared at him for a long moment before Carole spoke up again, "Kurt, Sweetie, what's going on?"

"Oh," he laughed weakly when he realized he'd told no one about how his impending testing results were supposed to come back today. "Just waiting on a phone call, you know?" He shrugged his shoulders and ate a green bean.

"Kurt," it was his father this time.

"My test results are supposed to come back today," Kurt mumbled after he swallowed the vegetable. He tried to shrug it off again, "I'm just a little on edge."

"Dude you're freaking out," Finn told him plainly. "Don't blame you though," he added as he made a face at his meal and ate some of the salmon out of obligation to his mother. "I'd be freaking out too, but I mean you can't really do anything about it until you know, right?"

"Yeah I guess so," Kurt nodded his head in a way that looked like he was trying to convince himself of Finn's words. "And I mean what are the chances, right? I mean- I don't think- I don't think he slept with anyone- well before. Who would, right?"

"Santana-"

"Knew he's gay," Kurt cut in, "and is also gay, remember?"

"Oh, right," Finn ate another bite of the salmon and wrinkled his nose, before smiling at his brother, "Means you're probably in the clear, right?"

Kurt forced a smile, "Right," before adding in a weak tone, "but we should drop it. It's not really dinner convers-" He stopped and stared at his phone as he began to play his ringtone.

"Well, answer it," his father gestured at him.

All eyes were on him as he carefully pressed Accept and pressed his cell phone to his ear, "Hello."

"May I speak to Kurt Hummel please?" A feminine voice asked briskly.

"S-speaking," he muttered into the phone, his hand clutching the table as if it would provide him with some stability or comfort.

"Mr. Hummel this is Georgia Marcotte. I'm calling from Lima Family Practice about your test results," the woman told him in a gentle sounding voice.

"Y-yes," Kurt stuttered softly, "W-what are they?"

"Mr. Hummel," she began professionally, "your test results have come back negative in regards to HIV, AIDS and the other sexually transmitted diseases you were tested for. Congratulations."

"Th-thank you," he felt all the tension leave his body and he slumped into the chair. "I-I need to go now- tell my family, bye." He hung up before she could answer and looked at his anxious looking family. He licked his lips and smiled weakly, "Clean. I'm completely and totally clean."

He'd never been more thankful for three pairs of arms to be hugging him so tightly all at once.

* * *

><p>"Aunt Marina, I'm home," Blaine called into the house when he returned home. He rolled his shoulders slightly and stretched out his neck. He still had a bit of a crick from leaning into his friends so much, but somehow he didn't feel ashamed at all for the amount of crying that had been done in their company.<p>

Neither Wes nor David had blamed or judged him for it. They had actually encouraged him to let go.

The good feeling he had from letting all those emotions out disappeared the moment he stepped into the living room of the home he and his aunt shared.

"Mom? Dad?" He asked in confusion when he found his mother and father sitting next to each other on the couch and looking at him expectantly. His mother rose almost immediately and grabbed him up in a hug.

"We heard," she told him as her arms slid around his back to hold him.

He found himself sinking into the embrace and hugging her back tightly. This- this was all he ever wanted, for his parents to care.

His mother drew back after a moment, and sat back next to his father without so much as another word.

"Blaine, sit down," his father told him, motioning to the arm chair across from the couch they were seated on.

"Where's Aunt Marina?" He asked thickly, sitting obediently in the seat.

"I'm in the kitchen," he heard her voice call softly, "You want anything?"

"No," he called back softly, before looking back over at his parents and asking straight out, "What are you doing here?"

"You heard your mother," his father told him curtly, "and I don't appreciate your tone young man. We're here because we heard that there was an incident at your new school and were concerned." His father's tone softened slightly, "Obviously what has been happening, this bullying, is worse than we thought. I'm prepared to allow you to come back home and return to Dalton for your junior year, if you like."

Blaine shook his head, "No thank you Dad," he spoke as politely as he could manage. His father didn't sound too concerned. He hadn't asked if he was okay. He hadn't even said he wanted Blaine back home, just that he was 'prepared to allow' him to return. "I love Kurt and I don't want to leave him."

"Are you sure that's wise?" His father asked, sounding a little perturbed. "Isn't that boy and your relationship the cause of this whole mess in the first place?"

Blaine felt the heat rising up in his face, "No Dad. The cause of this whole mess is the guy who raped Kurt, tried to – assaulted me and set the football team on us."

"But isn't it true that if you weren't in a relationship with that boy, that you wouldn't have been targeted in the first place?" His father asked calmly.

"So it's my fault because I'm gay?" Blaine asked, his voice rising and drawing his aunt into the room. "Is it Kurt's fault he was raped because he's gay? Is it my fault that someone tried to rape me for being gay? Is it my fault Dad? Do you really think it is?"

"I wouldn't say it's your fault," his father began, trying to stay calm, "however none of it would have happened if you and that boy were normal, correct?"

"Mom! How- how can you listen to this-"

"He has a point dear," she murmured in a quiet voice. "If you weren't- homosexual- that Karofsky kid wouldn't have targeted you or Kurt."

"I-" He didn't speak more than that one stuttered word. Any of the relief he'd been feeling had flown out the window. He stared at his parents shocked speechless for one long moment before realizing that he was about to shed more tears and immediately took off desperately towards his bedroom. He wouldn't let them see him cry.

"That's enough," Marina cut in as Blaine rushed away. She looked at her half-brother and his wife, "You two are unbelievable? How dare you blame a child for being who he is? How dare you blame your child for being sexually assaulted?"

"It's the truth Marina, whether you like it or not-"

She cut him off with a sharp slap to the face, "You're pathetic Nate. Blaine is not to blame for the actions of David Karofsky. The only person to blame for that is David Karofsky. Do you even know what happened to your son?" She asked with growl, stepping even closer to him. "You wouldn't, because you couldn't even show up to court when your son had to tell a room full of strangers what happened to him."

"I was busy-"

"Shut up Nate, I'm not finished!" She snapped at him, cutting him off again. "I know what happened to your son. David Karofsky pinned your son to the wall with physical, bruising force and taunted him about how he raped the boy Blaine loves. Then while Blaine was fighting to get away he implied he was going to rape him too, telling him he was just like Kurt. And at the same time he was forcing himself on your son, kissing and biting him while your son begged to be let go. That boy would have raped him too, if Kurt's brother hadn't shown up. Your son, Nate; he would have raped _your son_ and all you can do is tell him how he's wrong and implying that he deserved what he got."

"I-I-" Nathan Anderson couldn't force himself to find a reply as his wife sobbed next to him.

"Should go? I completely agree with you," Marina growled at him, pointing her finger towards the door. "I'd be lying if I said I looked forward to seeing you again. Goodbye."

Dawn grabbed her wrist and looked at her suddenly with watery eyes, "I love my son Marina. I just- I can't help but feel that he's not the same boy I brought home-"

"No Dawn," Marina shook her head at Blaine's mother and pulled from her grip, "He's the same beautiful boy. You just can't stand that he's not what you dreamt of or expected him to be. You're better than your husband, but just barely. I think you should leave now."

"I was never cut out for this- for motherhood," Dawn whispered with a shake of her head, before raising her eyes to Marina's, "Take care of him for me? You were always so much better at caring for him than I was."

"I will give that boy everything he needs," Marina told the other woman in a deadly calm voice, "Including a mother's love."

Dawn's mouth dropped open, but she nodded, before following her husband out the door.

Marina shook her head one last time and padded her way over to the small bedroom that she'd allocated to her nephew. "Blaine," she called softly through the door, "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," she heard him call out and she stepped into the room to find her nephew sitting on the bed with his pillow in his lap. The pillow was wet.

She sat down beside him and wrapped her arm around him, drawing him close, "I'm sorry for them Blaine. I really thought they wanted to apologize. I just- I want you to know that no matter what I'll always be here for you, okay? I'll always love you."

He nodded his head, before leaning it into her shoulder, "I'm glad I have you Auntie. Honestly you're more of a mother than mine ever was."

Tears started slipping from her eyes as she held him close. He would never know just how much those words meant to her; how much it meant for someone to love her like a mother.

She'd never been a mother and no matter how much she pined for it, she never would be.

She remembered finding out her brother's wife was having a baby on the same day the doctor had explained that the lump in her stomach was actually cancer that stretched through her uterus and how she'd cried at the word 'hysterectomy'; how her (now ex) husband had filed for divorce just months later.

She remembered meeting her nephew for the first time and being taken aback by the beauty of a little hazel eyed baby with a tuft of black hair sticking out of his head. She remembered how Dawn had struggled to take care of the infant as Blaine screamed and how he'd calmed when she'd held him.

"Thank you Blaine," she murmured to him softly, "That means a lot to me."

She could tell it meant a lot to him too.

* * *

><p><em>Kurt was running like his life depended on it and deep down he knew it was true; his life depended on how fast he could keep his legs pumping to outrun the shadowy figures that were chasing him.<em>

_He knew what would happen if any of them caught him._

_He looked back down the empty halls of the high school and noticed that the human shaped shadows with no faces were starting to gain on him. _

_He wanted to close his eyes and pretend they didn't exist, but they did and they were about to catch him. _

_He rounded a corner and found himself at a dead end, except it wasn't really a dead end. It was the door to the math classroom. Kurt turned around and saw the shadows slowly cornering him, except they weren't just shadows anymore. They had faces and he had names to put to those faces. _

_Kevin Turner, Troy Masters and Jackson Fraser were the three he remembered most. They'd been the ones who'd enjoyed attaching him and Blaine to the goalpost the most. They were standing there with sinister grins on their faces and seemingly hiding one of the other shadows. _

_"Leave me alone!" He shouted at them, except his voice came out meek and quiet rather than the yell he'd intended. "I don't want you near me."_

_"That's too bad, isn't it Slut?" Kevin asked him with a small chuckle. One corner of his mouth turned upward and he motioned to the door, "You're going to go in there."_

_"No I'm not," he stood his ground as best he could and tried to be stubborn. "I won't let you hurt me."_

_Kevin laughed even louder and asked, "Will you let Dave hurt _him_?" He moved aside and so did the others to reveal David Karofsky standing there in the corridor and holding a dazed and terrified looking Blaine. _

_Kurt looked at his boyfriend and took in the sight. His hands were behind his back, probably tied together and there was a strip of duct tape over his mouth. His hazel eyes were glossy with tears, face bruised and Kurt's eyes drew downwards to notice that his pants were unbuttoned. "No! No! If you hurt him I swear to God David-"_

_"You don't believe in God, Kurt," David growled at him and jerked Blaine closer to him. Kurt could only watch as his boyfriend let out a whimper. "In any case I haven't hurt him, not yet. You can stop it Kurt. You can stop it. All you have to do is go in there and give in. It's you or him Kurt, make up your mind."_

_Kurt looked between his boyfriend and David and let out a tiny whisper, "Please don't."_

_"Begging isn't going to get you anywhere Kurt," David growled at him and grasped Blaine's throat tightly and Kurt saw his eyes start to bulge as the other boy tried desperately to suck in air through his nose. "And since you're taking too long to decide; I'm going to choose for you."_

_"Me!" Kurt screamed desperately. "Me! Please Dave. Don't hurt him. Me. I choose me."_

_"It's too late Kurt. I'm going to have both of you," David laughed at him. "You have a new choice, go in there with me or watch him die."_

_Suddenly he was sobbing as he opened the door and stumbled into the room, very aware that Blaine was being pushed inside after him. _

_The scene seemed to shift and Blaine was crying and it was muffled and all he could do was watch in horror. Everything was moving so fast that his mind could barely keep up. The images seemed to race around him in a swirling mess. The only thing that stayed stagnant was what he could see of Blaine's face; the pain, and worse, the betrayal._

_Then it seemed like suddenly his clothes disappeared, as if they'd be torn from him without him even knowing and his eyes latched onto Blaine's again._

_He wanted to die. There was so much pain and hate in them as very clearly he could hear Blaine saying with contemptible hatred, despite the duct tape, "I hate you. I hate you. How could you let him do that to me? I hate you!"_

_"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Forgive me," he pleaded desperately then screamed. "No!" The pain was back like it had never left and there was nothing he could do about it except scream again hysterically, "Stop!" His body was paralyzed by some invisible force and the large, heavy hands pinning him down. The next word that escaped his mouth was soft and despairing, "Pl-please."_

Kurt shot up in bed with a loud, wet gasp as shudders ran through his body. He forced the sob in his throat back down and threw back the covers, shivering despite that it was a warm June night. He swung his feet over the side of the bed and carefully stood on his feet.

He was almost surprised when there was no pain. It had just been a dream after all. It was one of the worse ones, but it hadn't been the worst.

He padded out of his room and down the hall, before knocking softly on one of the doors. When there was no answer he stepped inside it anyways and took a few steps towards the side of the bed before saying in a loud whisper, "Finn, wake up."

His answer was a grunting snore, so he put his hand on the t-shirt clad shoulder and shook his step-brother slightly. His voice was a little bit more desperate this time, "Finn, wake up."

This time the grunt was cut off as Finn's eyes opened blearily, before snapping open with worry. "Kurt? What's wrong?"

"Finn, I'm sorry. I know this is childish, but I- I had a nightmare," Kurt whispered, feeling miserable and embarrassed. "It was really bad."

Finn sat up immediately in his bed and patted the side. Kurt climbed on and sat down with his legs crossed in answer as Finn said in a gentle voice, "You want to tell me about it?"

"Karofsky was there," Kurt murmured as if that would explain everything, and it nearly did. He added after a moment, "So was the football team. They chased me to the math room and I- I was standing my ground but then Karofsky was there and he had Blaine and he was going to make me choose-"

"Kurt slow down," Finn whispered, keeping his voice low and soft as he tried to keep his brother calm. "What do you mean choose?"

"Whether it was me or Blaine," Kurt murmured, "but I took too long. I picked me, but- he decided- he hurt us both."

Finn gathered his brother into a tight hug, "I'm sorry Kurt. I'm sorry. I hate- I hate that you have to relive that every night."

"Not every night," Kurt corrected in a soft voice, "Just most."

"Why haven't you told me?" Finn asked as his brows creased and his mouth turned downward. "You're my brother Kurt. You're supposed to come to me with this stuff, remember?"

"I don't want to be a burden," Kurt whispered in a tiny voice. "I don't want people to be hurting because of me. Finn- I- I- feel like I'm nothing but trouble."

"You're a lot more than that," Finn promised him fiercely, "You're my brother, for one. You're awesome- and um- you're really selfless and caring and totally not a burden, okay?"

"Okay," Kurt murmured, not sure if he really believed it. "Thanks Finn." He moved to get off the bed but Finn stopped him with an arm. "What?"

"Where are you going?"

"Back to bed?" Kurt phrased it as a question considering the odd look Finn was giving him.

"No way dude," Finn shook his head with finality. "You're going to stay here tonight."

"I'm not sharing a bed with you Finn," Kurt told him just as firmly. "I appreciate the sentiment and I know we're step-brothers and all- but-"

"No dude," Finn rolled his eyes as he climbed out of the bed and put two gentle hands on Kurt's shoulders to press him down in a lying position. "You're sleeping here and I'm taking the floor. That way if you have a nightmare I'm right here, okay?"

"Finn-"

"No arguments. Now pass me a pillow." Finn held out his hand and Kurt reluctantly handed him a pillow. He watched in silence as his brother went over to the closet and pulled out a squashy blue sleeping bag and laid it out on the floor.

"Finn-"

"I said no arguments Kurt," Finn reminded him in a slightly wry sounding voice. "Consider it a brotherly duty."

"I was just going to say thanks," Kurt whispered, lying back down in his brother's bed. "I'm glad you're my brother."

"Same here Dude," Finn told him seriously as he settled down on the floor.

He ignored his step-brother's usually irritating slang as tears slipped past Kurt's eyelids for the second time that night, but this time it was for an entirely different reason. He couldn't understand why Finn was so glad to have him for a brother, but he was glad he was and he was glad to have him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Sorry that the author's note at the beginning was a little long, but I wanted to get all that addressed before the chapter was read. It just upsets me slightly that I can no longer enjoy this chapter as much as I did before thanks to some comments about the story having too much Blaine in it. However the criticism was honest from their perspective and I can accept that and the fact that I can't please everyone. I just wish that the comment had not been anonymous so I could address those concerns directly, rather than in super long author's notes which can get sometimes annoying. In any case, please leave a review.


	12. Chapter 12: Divided

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning**: Mentions of non-con; swearing.

**A/N**: Oh you kind lovely people. You are the real reason I write. Thank you so much for all your kind reviews. They mean so much to me!

So since this chapter is mostly just therapy moments for the boys I decided to add a little more Samcedes… because I love them! It made me sad to see that Sam left before Season 3 started (good thing this story takes place pre-Season 3), oh but I loved the premiere anyways. Blaine singing "It's Not Unusual" on the steps was just- wow. What can I say except wow? The Kurchel friendship stuff also definitely made my day.

As for the most recent episode; let's just say I'm upset they ended it where they did. I mean really; you're going to make me wait a whole week to see what happens? Okay I lied; I loved it, but I still wish they hadn't ended it there.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 12<span> - Divided

Finn sat down in front of Dr. MacLeod and said quickly, "I'm sorry."

She looked at him with one blonde eyebrow raised and asked with a small hint of amusement, "And what exactly is it that you are sorry for Finn?"

He hadn't exactly been expecting her words or her tone, but then again, he supposed, she was a therapist and probably wanted to explore his feelings some more. Well, for once, he decided, he was going to let her. "I don't know; for being difficult I guess. I know I've been difficult and I haven't really been doing anything useful or helpful while I'm here."

"What I don't understand is why you're apologizing to me," she spoke in a much softer voice; all the amusement was gone from it.

"I've been wasting your time-"

"Finn honey," she cut him off in a gentle, almost motherly tone, "I get paid whether you talk to me or not. I'm not the person you should be apologizing to. I think you need to apologize to yourself, because that's the person you've been hurting the most by not making the most of these sessions and maybe your step-father; who has to pay for them despite that you've been just sitting around morosely for most of them."

"He's not just my step-father," Finn corrected suddenly; "He's my dad."

"Your dad then," she amended softly. She paused for a moment, regarding him carefully. "Does this sudden apology mean that you'd like to really talk now; about your anger."

He nodded quietly before opening his mouth and formulating the words, "I want it to stop. I want to stop being so angry. I get so mad I can't control myself and- and it scares me. I feel so out of control when I'm angry and I just want to hurt someone, but really I don't. Really, that's like the last thing I want to do. I don't want to be like him."

"Like Karofsky?" She asked in a measured tone and Finn nodded. "I hope you know that you are not like that boy. Yes you've had outbursts of anger and rage and have yelled things at people that maybe you didn't mean; like with Rachel, but you haven't hurt anyone, have you? And I know for a fact you've never even considered raping someone like David Karofsky did."

"I wanted to hurt someone," Finn said in a soft voice. "I-I really wanted to kill him. I feel like I almost did, but I stopped myself."

"You feel out of control Finn, but are you really?" She asked gently. "People who are out of control don't stop themselves. Most of the time they don't even scare themselves, but you're a good person and you are in control. Maybe you can't control your anger, but you've managed to keep yourself from physically harming someone despite your impulses."

"O-okay," he tried to accept her logic. It was logical that he had some control considering he hadn't actually murdered Kevin Turner. Of course it probably helped that Puck had tracked him down and beaten the crap out of him. Finn looked at her and said in a voice that didn't even really sound like him it was so soft and almost childlike, "I don't like those impulses. I want them to go away."

"Well that's why you're here," she smiled at him warmly. "Once you get down to the nitty gritty of why you're angry and deal with it, hopefully we can control that anger or turn it into something useful. I think what's really necessary for that is to discuss what that anger is covering up, because I think you're using that anger to hide what you're really feeling."

"You mean because I feel guilty," he added in a thick whisper and she nodded.

"Yes, Finn, because you feel guilty and while it's normal to feel guilty, you don't have to, because you did nothing wrong," she explained to him seriously. "Survivor's guilt is natural, but in no way useful."

"What do you mean survivor's guilt?" He asked, unsure of the term and what she meant by it.

"Sometimes when someone dies someone they're close to may feel guilty about being alive," she explained, "which is the most common understanding. For example if two people are present at a home invasion and one dies, the other may feel guilty for being alive when their loved one did not get that same chance." She paused for a moment as some of the confusion on Finn's face lifted, but not all of it. "Sometimes that guilt is about feeling if you were just there for that person, they may have survived which is often the case in people who've lost a loved one to suicide. That case is most similar to what you're feeling I think Finn. You feel guilty about not being with Kurt when he was attacked and that if you'd just been there and you could have saved him."

"It's like you're in my head," he mumbled morosely as he felt the weight of the guilt build in his chest.

"What those people don't understand is in many cases there was no way they could have known it was going to happen. There are warning signs of course, but people need to be taught to spot them. No one can predict the future Finn. And then there's the fact that even if they did stop it once; it can be very difficult to stop a determined individual," she told him in her firmest voice. "And from what I heard, David Karofsky was a very determined individual in a school in which probably wouldn't have thought much of the accusation considering the difficulty Kurt had with the boy in the fall in which he had to transfer schools just to feel safe."

"So you're saying there's nothing I could have done?" He asked in a meek voice that surprised even himself.

"I'm saying that only hindsight is twenty-twenty Finn. There's no way you could have known then what was going to happen. You couldn't have prevented it; merely because you couldn't have predicted it, understand? You're a seventeen year old. No one should expect you to see those signs; especially since no one taught you to recognize them. That job belonged to the staff of your school and even then it is true that they can't be everywhere at once and protect every student all the time. It's simply impossible, which is a sad and inconvenient truth. Do you get what I'm trying to tell you here Finn?"

"I-I think so," he murmured in a soft voice. Mentally the logic was understood, but somehow he still couldn't really believe it.

"It may take some time to sink in," she reassured him softly, seeing the confliction in his face.

"Does this mean I'm not going to be angry anymore?" He asked hopefully as just a little of the weight lifted from his chest.

She smiled gently at him again, "I'm afraid it takes more than one session to fix things Finn, but at least now we've got the ball rolling."

* * *

><p>Sam paced in front of the door for what felt like hours. He checked the battered watch on his wrist and let out an only slightly frustrated sounding sigh when he realized he'd only been standing there for a few minutes.<p>

He raised his fist carefully as if to knock, when the door came open on its own accord and he found himself staring into Mercedes' smiling face. "Hi Sam," she greeted, "I wasn't expecting you but- um- come in."

"Actually," he shuffled his feet slightly, "I was hoping you'd come out."

She looked a little taken aback for a moment and Sam tried to reassure himself. Kurt had definitely hinted that she was interested last time he'd spoken to him without actually saying it out loud. At least he hoped he'd picked up on the hint correctly.

"For a walk or something," he added nervously before a spurt of verbal diarrhea blew from his mouth. "I have the day off work and everybody's pretty much busy. Besides I don't really want to bother Kurt or Finn or anybody right now after what happened the other day. Plus I um- thought it'd be nice if we could hang out."

"Just let me pull on my shoes. I'd love to go out-" she laughed as she spoke but he cut her off with the question before he could chicken out.

"With me?"

"Well I don't see anyone else here, do you?" She asked as she pulled on her sneakers and looped her arm through is, "Lead the way Sammy."

"No, Mercedes," a nervous smile spread over his face as they stepped off, "I mean would you like to go out- with me; like on a date… maybe Saturday? It's my next day off. We could go on a picnic."

"Oh," her speech paused for a long moment and he felt her arm shift a little in his.

Shit, he thought to himself suddenly in that long stretched moment of silence, she's not interested. She doesn't see me like that. Kurt was wrong.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, "I understand if you don't."

"Oh no," she shook her hand and smiled a surprisingly shy smile. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to find the words, "I do. I just- Sam you caught me off guard. I'd actually love to go on a picnic with you on Saturday."

A long sigh of relief left him before he realized it and he stopped himself in the middle of it and sent a nervous look her way.

"Calm down Sam," Mercedes grinned at him happily as she removed her arm from his and boldly reached for his hand. "It's just me. Besides, I think the hard part's over."

* * *

><p>Kurt stepped into the room and silently handed Dr. MacLeod a piece of paper before sitting on the armchair and drawing his knees to his chest, looking at her expectantly.<p>

The woman looked down at the piece of paper and frowned. "What is this Kurt?"

"It's a poem, well part of one," he told her in a quiet voice. "I don't know how else to explain what I'm feeling, but sometimes, at night I just start writing things and it seems to make more sense to me then than it does now."

"I see," she nodded as she looked down at the paper again. "Using writing as a way to get down your feelings is a good thing Kurt. I wish I had suggested it earlier but honestly I thought you might prefer to sing it out."

He shrugged his shoulders slightly, "Writing's more private."

She smiled wanly, "That much is true." She let her eyes flicker down to the paper and read a part of it out loud.

"_There is a chasm_

_Stretched oh so wide_

_And I'm reaching out_

_Trying to touch the other side_

_But there's no way to get back_

_No way to get back_

_To who I used to be._

_You stare but you don't see_

_Your little whispers_

_As they creep up on me_

_Flying through the air_

_As their sharp little claws_

_Dig into me,_

_Latching on, inescapably._

She looked back up at him with sympathetic eyes, "Do you want to tell me what this is about Kurt?"

"I just feel so haunted by all the 'could have been's," Kurt mumbled softly, his eyes looking up at the therapist. "How if it didn't happen people wouldn't look at me differently; wouldn't whisper things about me as if I'm not there or I'm deaf or something, at least not as much. I keep thinking about all the things that would have happened and all the things that happened that wouldn't have, if _it_ hadn't."

"It?"

He frowned hard, "Why do you always insist on making me use the words?"

"Because if you don't you're just blocking it out," Dr. MacLeod told him in a quiet voice. "You're not trying to move through it, by not saying it. You're trying to forget it happened and you're not going to heal that way. If you want to heal, you have to come to terms with it. You shouldn't be ashamed it happened. It wasn't your fault."

"Fine; I keep thinking about all the things that could have happened if David Karofsky hadn't raped me. I keep thinking about how Blaine's parents wouldn't be out of his life. I think about how I could talk to my brother about girls or boys or something other than the rape. It's all everyone thinks about anymore. It's all I think about. I keep thinking about before and how everything after is just so _fucked._" He dragged his hands through his hair, "I feel like my life is so freaking divided. There's my life before, and my life after. There's the Kurt I used to be, and the person I am now and I'm not even sure who that me is." He curled his legs up in the chair, "I used to be different."

"It sounds to me like you're mourning," the therapist said in a gentle voice.

"I'm not mourning. Nobody died."

"You're mourning your innocence in a sense," she told him. "You're frustrated because you can't get it back. You said you feel divided?"

He nodded quietly, "It's like there's a huge divide inside me and I can't reach the other side." He swallowed thickly, "It's like there's this huge crack or chasm and I can't get to the other side because it's just too damn wide." He paused darkly, "The worst part is that no one seems to want to let me move on either, apart from my friends and family that is."

She gave him a soft frown, "How do you mean?"

Kurt's face tightened uncomfortably and he looked towards the ground, "The football team attacked me and Blaine. They-" he tried to hold back his tears.

"You don't need to hold back here," Dr. MacLeod reminded him in a soft voice, "You can cry if you need to. There's no judgment here Kurt, you know that."

He nodded and finally just let it go; letting the tears slip down his cheeks.

"What did the football team do to you and Blaine?" She asked in a soft voice.

"They dragged us out to the football field," Kurt let out in a whisper, wiping at his cheeks slightly feeling the wetness coming off on the backs of his hands. "They stripped us and for one terrifying moment I thought it was going to happen all over again. They duct taped us naked to the field goal post. I-I don't understand why they can't just leave me alone."

"That- that's unbelievably cruel," she said after a moment, suddenly understanding why Finn had mentioned he'd wanted to kill someone, "Did these boys know-"

"They're Karofsky's friends," Kurt spit out with distaste, "They knew." He let out a bitter laugh, "It's funny, since Karofsky's best friend ended up being the one who got them to leave and cut us down." He shook his head, "It's like that school can't give me a break. I mean, I managed to go to Prom despite that I was in the middle of a trial and they voted me Prom Queen as a joke; a joke! Everything's just a big fucking joke, except it's not. It's not a joke." He was talking faster now, almost hysterically as he vented out the anger and desperation that had been growing in him for months, "I'm a fucking human being but none of them; they don't see me. They don't see that I'm falling apart and if they do they just take pleasure in it. At Prom I- I went up there and I was alone because our King, Finn, managed to get kicked out for punching someone in the face. If Blaine hadn't been there- I don't know. I don't know what I would have done; collapsed maybe, screamed? But you know what? They wouldn't have cared. They probably would have laughed at me because apparently I'm one big, gay joke."

"You're not a joke Kurt. I'll agree the people at your school need education of a different sort than what they're getting, but it's mostly ignorance that's fuelling their hate and unfortunately there is a lot of ignorance in the world. That may not change for a long time. The only thing you can do is change how you deal with that ignorance."

"I used to let it roll right off me," Kurt said shakily. "I used to just stand tall and pick myself back up, but it's harder now. It's harder to deal with that kind of ignorance when I know what it can do. I can't-" he broke off, his lower jaw trembling, "I can't do it again. If it happens again I won't- I won't be able to handle it. I'll just- I'll die."

"After everything you've been through, that's a valid fear," Dr. MacLeod told him in a gentle voice, "but you can't let fear hold you back for the rest of your life. You'd be letting them- the kids at school who attacked you and Karofsky and all the ignorant people in the world- win. It's okay to be afraid, but courage isn't about fearlessness."

"I know," Kurt murmured, remembering how he'd met Blaine and the courage he'd helped him gather back in the fall. "It's about confronting your fears."

"It's also about simply not letting your fear control you," she reminded him gently.

He nodded his head and then asked, "So what do I do now? I mean, how do I do that?"

"Kurt, that's something we'll work on together, okay?" She smiled at him in a warm manner that reminded him for a moment of Carole. "It's not something that's going to happen overnight."

"Oh, okay." He paused then asked, "Is it something that maybe Blaine and Finn could help me with; for the time being I mean?"

The therapist frowned for a long moment, "Kurt, I have to say I've noticed that whenever you talk about these difficult times, you focus in on whether Blaine or Finn were there for you. What about your other friends?"

Kurt froze softly, "What do you mean?"

"You're in Glee Club, right? Aren't the other members of the club your friends too?" She asked in a soft voice, "Are they there for you too?"

Kurt shrugged his shoulders, "They say they are, but they don't really want to know. Why would they? Finn- he has to- he's my brother. And Blaine, he loves me, but the others; they think they want to help, but once they really get what it means they won't want to be anymore and I can't do that. I'd rather not have them involved, rather than have them leave when things get hard."

"You don't think much of your friends then," Dr. MacLeod said in a soft voice.

"What? No. They're great," Kurt shook his head, "You're taking this the wrong way. They're good people and I know they care and –"

"But you don't trust them enough not to hurt you-"

"They've done it before," Kurt shrugged his shoulders, "and honestly, I wouldn't blame them if they gave up on me. I'm messed up. They don't deserve to have to deal with that."

"But you deserve to? Did you deserve to be raped?" She asked, looking at him seriously.

"I don't know," he said slowly, remembering in the back of his mind Kevin's taunts of 'slut'. He could him so clearly, calling him 'Blaine's slut'. The word seemed to echo in his mind 'slut, slut, slut'.

"Wrong answer," she cut off the thoughts firmly as she spoke, "No one deserves to be raped. You said so yourself Kurt; you're a human being and nobody, human or otherwise, deserves to go through that. You're not a joke and being gay doesn't give anyone the right to hurt you or treat you like one and Kurt- you need to give your friends more credit. You need to give them a chance. Maybe they don't deserve to have to deal with it, but neither do you. You have to play the cards your dealt. You've been dealt some bad cards Kurt, but you've got friends who want to help you. You need to take advantage of that."

* * *

><p>Blaine sat down gingerly on the comfortable cushy armchair that he always liked to relax in whenever he came to see Dr. Seguin. Today he knew for a fact that no matter what he did he was not going to be able to relax.<p>

"Hello Blaine," the woman greeted him as she ran a hand along her peppered black hair that was tied back in its usual simple, but elegant ponytail.

"Hello Lou," he replied softly, holding his hands in his lap and staring at them for a moment.

"Something seems to be bothering you today Blaine," Lou called him out on it immediately. "I'll admit something usually seems to be bothering you, but today it seems to be a lot more pronounced than usual. Is everything all right at home?"

"That's part of the problem," he managed in a hoarse voice. "I lost it. I lost hold of what home was to me and now it's all messed up."

The therapist peered at him carefully, "Do you want to explain what you mean Blaine?"

"My parents think it's my fault," he murmured in a soft voice. "They think it's my fault because I'm gay and if I wasn't then everything would be perfect. They blame me."

"They think it's your fault about what happened to Kurt?" She asked in a voice that was just coaxing for him to finally come out with it; coaxing him to tell the truth.

He shook his head and looked up at her, "I don't think they really care about what happened to Kurt. I mean they blame me for what-what happened to me."

"And what was that?" She asked, despite that she knew perfectly well what had happened.

"That someone tried to rape me," he admitted in a voice so soft that it was barely audible. "But- but they don't even classify like that. They think- they think that because I'm gay and it didn't go as far as it could have that it's no big deal. I don't get it. They keep contradicting themselves. First it's no big deal because I'm gay and apparently I need to be 'more of a man' about it, but then again it only happened because I'm gay. If it's no big deal then why does it matter that I'm gay? I just- I wish they loved me."

"Blaine from what I've gathered your parents do love you," Lou told him in a careful voice. "However they're clouded by a fog of ignorance so thick that I don't know if they can ever be the parents you want them to be. It's similar to the way that you are unable to be the son they want you to be, but with one huge exception. You can't be expected to change. Who you are is part of your biology, your chemistry and is no fault of your own; while they chose to be ignorant and not to educate themselves."

"I should be thankful," he whispered after a moment, before speaking a little bit louder, "I have a lot more than some people have. I have my aunt."

"Oh yes, be thankful," Lou smiled at him gently, before adding seriously, "but don't let that stop you from dealing with the bad that comes with the good." She paused for a moment, waiting to see if he would speak, before adding, "You've never said before that someone tried to rape you."

"I didn't think it mattered," he said with a thick swallow. "Kurt- Kurt went through so much worse. I just felt like- like I was- I don't know-"

"You didn't think it mattered?" She asked with a furrowed brow when Blaine suddenly stopped talking. "You didn't think you mattered?"

"It wasn't supposed to be a big deal," he explained thickly and added after a moment. "I wanted- I wanted my dad to see that I could be strong; that I could be fine but he wasn't even there and I needed to be strong for Kurt. He needs someone strong."

"Strength isn't about ignoring your troubles," she told him in a firm voice. "It's about facing them despite how much it may pain you to do so. Just like bravery isn't about being fearless."

He nodded his head before saying quietly, "I know I'm not fine. I just thought if I pretended long enough that I might end up that way, but it's not working. I keep getting nightmares where it goes so much further than it really did and sometimes I just- I still feel him or I feel like he's hiding out somewhere just waiting to finish what he started- to keep his promise." He shuddered in his seat, "I know he's in prison but I just can't shake the feeling that he's following me."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: That bit of poetry Kurt brought in was originally supposed to be part of an original song for this story, but I'm not very musically inclined so I decided to use it in this capacity instead. It's about the only thing I can claim in this story as my own. I wanted it to capture both the feeling of separation Kurt feels as well as the itchy, crawling, dirty feeling that is often described by rape victims.


	13. Chapter 13: Not Ready

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning:** Mentions of non-con and swearing; as per usual.

**A/N:** I know I haven't had any songs so far in this story (unless you count Kurt's poem) but that's because I wanted it to be mostly content and due to the fact that it takes place mostly after they were done Glee club for the year. However in this chapter and the next there will be some songs. I hope you don't mind. In any case here you are my darlings, please enjoy!

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><p><span>Chapter 13<span> – Not Ready

Finn stood nervously on Rachel's doorstep, shuffling from side to side as one of her fathers, Hiram, answered the door with a serious look on his face, "Finn," he greeted in a somber tone.

"Mr. Berry," Finn greeted back weakly, "Can I speak to Rachel?"

The man narrowed his eyes at the boy, "Are you going to make my baby cry again?"

"No sir," he told the man firmly and with conviction, "I love her and- I hate that I upset her. I want to make it up to her if I can- if you'll give me that chance."

Hiram Berry simply stood to the side, allowing Finn to step inside the house.

"She's in her room," the man told him with an edge to his voice, "hurt her and you just might leave this house in pieces, understood? I don't like seeing my baby upset and lately whenever that happens _you_ seem to be involved."

Finn's eyes widened slightly and he nodded before making his way quickly to Rachel's bedroom, smiling when he saw her lying on her stomach on her bed writing down in a notebook as her feet swung in the air. He knocked lightly on the door with one knuckle and watched as she started, before turning to look at him with a frown, "Finn," she said quietly.

"Rachel," he said in a quiet tone, "I- please let me apologize again. Please forgive me. I promise- I promise I'll never do that again."

"I can't be with someone who scares me," she said in a quiet voice as she perched on the edge of her bed.

Finn sat down next to her on the pink bedspread, careful to leave a little space between them. "I'm sorry I scared you Rachel, but I want you to know – that I'm not going to be like that anymore. I-I was so angry and I wasn't dealing with it. I was holding it in until I exploded, but- after what happened with the football team and all that anger- I scared myself. That and Kurt yelled at me for upsetting you. I just- I realized that maybe I do need help, and now I'm getting it."

Her hand reached over and carefully covered his, "I'm glad you're finally accepting help," she murmured in a soft voice, "but I can't believe everything is going to work out anymore. I-I don't believe in fairy tales, not anymore."

"Sing with me," he said in a soft voice, standing up as he searched through his iPod for a particular song and plugged it into her iHome system. "Just sing it, okay? I know you know this song. I've heard you humming it in Glee."

At the familiar beat Rachel let her lips part and the notes flow through them.

_I'm not Snow White,  
>but I'm lost inside this forest.<br>I'm not Red Riding Hood,  
>but I think the wolves have got me.<br>Don't want your stilettos!  
>I'm not, not Cinderella..<br>I don't need a knight,  
>so baby take off all your armor!<br>You be the beast, and I'll be the beauty-beauty.  
>Who needs true love, as long as you love me truly?<br>I want it all, but I want ya more!  
>Will you wake me up boy<br>if I bite your poison apple?_

Finn smiled as he heard her voice sing so beautifully and joined his voice in with hers as they sung the chorus.

_I don't believe in fairy tales..  
>I don't believe in fairy tales..<br>I don't believe in fairy tales,  
>but I believe in you and me!<em>

_Take me to wonderland!  
>take me to take me to<br>take me to wonderland!  
>take me to take me to<br>take me to wonderland!  
>take me to take me to<br>take me to wonderland!  
>Wonderland, wonderland!<em>

He watched as her voice faded away as a small smile found her face and he let himself sing to her, hoping she was getting the message he was trying to portray.

_When I lay my head down  
>to go to sleep at night..<br>My dreams consist of things  
>that'll make you wanna hide.<br>Don't let me in your tower.  
>Show me your magic powers!<br>I'm not afraid to face  
>a little bit of danger, danger!<br>I want the love, the money and the perfect ending  
>You want the same as I, I.<br>So stop pretending!  
>I wanna show you how<br>good we could be together..  
>I wanna love you through the night,<br>we'll be a sweet disaster_

He grinned at her when she entwined her fingers with his and they sang the rest of the song together, their voices mingling perfectly.

_I don't believe in fairy tales..  
>I don't believe in fairy tales..<br>I don't believe in fairy tales,  
>but I believe in you and me<em>

_Take me to wonderland!  
>take me to take me to<br>take me to wonderland!  
>take me to take me to<br>take me to wonderland!  
>take me to take me to<br>take me to wonderland!  
>Wonderland, wonderland!<em>

_(Wonderland – Natalia Kills)_

"You see," he told her, squeezing her hand and looking into her eyes with desperation shining in his, "You don't need to believe in fairy tales Rachel- just believe in me- in us. You know me. You know that what I did in Breadstix wasn't me. Please- give me another chance, just one more."

She leaned against him, "I'll give you one more, but understand this Finnegan Hudson, the moment you act like that again- the moment you start to scare me; I'm gone."

"That sounds more than fair," he agreed, resting his head on top of hers, "I love you so much Rachel, you know that, right?"

"Yeah," she whispered back to him, "I love you too Finn."

"We're still not fixed though, are we?"

She shook her head, "No. It takes more than a song and a sweet gesture to fix things between us Finn. It's going to take work, but as long as were both willing to work at it, we'll be okay."

* * *

><p>Like most normal teenage boys, Kurt's mind seemed to be on sex all the time now; except it wasn't normal. It was all warped and strange and weird and he even knew it.<p>

Even as he sat at the dinner table across from his step-brother who was telling his parents (who listened proudly) about the progress Dr. MacLeod had said he made and how he'd finally made a start of fixing things with Rachel, his mind was not on his brother, but on it; on sex.

It didn't make sense why everyone wanted it so badly. Well, he could understand why straight guys wanted it; they weren't putting their bodies on the line in the same way. It didn't hurt for them. What Kurt couldn't understand was why girl's let them do it.

He didn't understand Santana and Brittany who while now out as lesbian and bisexual had enjoyed giving their bodies up for sex to boys. He just didn't understand.

He assumed normal sex was different than his experience or else no one would ever do it.

He wasn't even sure if what happened to him was even considered having sex. He certainly didn't seem to be having it; it more seemed like something that had been done to him, but he couldn't be sure if that still counted or not.

"Son, are you alright? You look a little lost," his father's voice broke into his reverie, "and you've barely eaten."

His head shot up and he stared blankly at his father for a moment, "Sorry," he murmured. Then he stabbed a fork into the chicken and forced himself to eat mechanically, even though all the time he was still thinking about it.

Sex; it confused and terrifying and the very thought of willingly putting himself through that made himself shiver subconsciously.

"Kurt," his father's voice again broke into his thoughts, "I asked if you were okay."

He looked up again, "Oh?" He shook his head slightly, "Yeah Dad. I'm fine, just a little preoccupied, that's all."

His father looked at him for a long moment, before beginning tentatively, "I can book you for another appointment with Dr. MacLeod if you want to-"

"No," he shook his head more vigorously this time, "Once a week is perfectly fine Dad. I'm fine." He hid a wince at the word 'fine'. He was starting to sound like Blaine.

He stabbed at his chicken again and forced himself to smile slightly as if to reassure everyone that everything was fine; despite that nothing was.

Then the thought slipped into his mind. There had to be something good about sex; maybe he just had to find it. Normal sex had to be good; had to be different than what happened to him. People wouldn't have it all the time if it wasn't good.

He wanted to feel good. He wanted it so badly. He wanted anything that wasn't this; his primary existence of painful memories and constant nightmares mixed in with that feeling of utter worthlessness. Maybe sex could give that to him; give him something good.

What did it matter anyways? He was a slut, wasn't he? Kevin had told him that enough the other day; had spoken to Blaine about 'his little slut'. The words reverberated through his brain. To almost the whole school he was Blaine's slut and the other boy wasn't even getting anything out of it.

Being Blaine's slut was certainly being better than being Karofsky's, he rationalized.

Besides, Dr. MacLeod had told him he had to put more trust in people. Why shouldn't he put that trust in Blaine? Okay so maybe she'd really said to trust his friends more, but he wasn't about to have sex with any of them now was he? No, it was only to be with the boy he loved from now on and no one else.

He took a deep breath and ate another bite of his chicken as he made up his mind. He was going to ask Blaine to have sex with him and find out once and for all why people seemed to love it so much.

He hoped that maybe; just maybe it would take the memories of Karofsky away. He hoped it would make him feel good.

* * *

><p>Kurt relished the gentle kiss that Blaine pressed to his lips and whispered softly as the other boy pulled away, "Blaine?"<p>

"Yeah?" Blaine murmured breathlessly, kissing the side of his jaw softly.

"Let's," Kurt paused quietly, thinking deeply for a moment before continuing, "We should have sex."

Blaine pulled back suddenly and stared at his boyfriend as his mouth dropped open, "K-Kurt," he stuttered in a soft voice, "D-do you really think we're ready for that?" He lowered his head, "Especially considering what we- you've been through."

"That's why I want to do it," Kurt insisted, his hands gently grabbing his boyfriend's torso and pulling him closer to him. He forced himself to press his hips forward, grinding slightly despite that it was making himself uncomfortable and his limbs felt leaden with fear and anxiety and listened as Blaine let out a soft little panting breath. "I only know pain Blaine. I don't know what- what real sex is like. I-I want to know, with you."

Blaine pulled back, his eyes watery, "Kurt- I can't, not for that reason. When- when we do that, I want it to be because we're both ready and love each other."

"We do love each other," Kurt reminded him in a soft, pleading voice. He needed this. He knew he needed this. He needed to prove that he could do it and discover the good feeling that was supposed to come with it. "Blaine, please."

"Kurt-"

"Blaine, please do this for me," Kurt whispered suddenly, his voice breathy and laced with quiet, despairing desperation. "I want to know what it's like. I want- I want to feel good. Don't- don't you want me to feel good?"

"Kurt," Blaine lowered his voice carefully, "That's not a good reason. It's- it's not going to make the pain go away. It's just not."

"How do you know?"

"Because you're not ready for this. You know you're not ready for this. You're just confused and scared and hurting and no matter how many times you ask me to I'm not going to take advantage of that."

"How do you know I'm not ready?" Tears were sliding down his face as he pressed his body close to his boyfriend, although this time it was not sexual, but clearly seeking comfort.

"Kurt," Blaine swallowed thickly, "You might think you're ready, but you're not. I know you're not and you know how I know that?"

Kurt's face tightened, "Yeah, that's what I asked, isn't it?"

"Because," he whispered quietly, "I'm not ready either." His eyes looked downward, "You want me to admit I'm hurting? Well here it is Kurt, I'm hurting. I-I know I wasn't raped and you were, but I'm still having those nightmares. I just- I know I'll freeze up the moment we go past making out the same way I freeze up whenever someone pushes me against a locker or calls me that name he called me. Kurt- please- please don't push me. I can't do this right now and even though you can't admit it, you can't either. Sometimes I think you're hiding more than I am. You- you act like nothing happened sometimes and-"

"Blaine," Kurt whispered, his eyes glistening, "I'm so sorry. I- I didn't think. I keep- I'm so busy dealing with my own stuff that I keep forgetting about what happened to you. I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize," Blaine shook his head tiredly. "Whatever you do don't apologize. You keep saying you're sorry every time we talk about the attempt, but Kurt, that's okay because you have so much more to worry about. It was an attempt, but that's all it was and it wasn't like that for you." He placed his hands on Kurt's shoulders and started rubbing up and down his arms softly; trying to rub out the uncomfortable tension he could feel in the other boy's muscles.

"I just- it was my fault it happened to you," he whispered, sniffling back a few tears. "I should have kept my mouth shut and then- then he would have just left you alone."

"Like he left you alone?" Blaine raised an eyebrow and shook his head, "I don't pretend to fathom what goes on in David Karofsky's head, but something tells me he wouldn't have left me alone even if Finn hadn't told me. He's not exactly a man of his word. Actually, the fact that Finn knew probably saved me."

"Blaine-"

"It's not your fault what happened, Kurt; just like it's not your fault that he raped you," Blaine murmured to him gently. "It's only his fault, okay?"

"I just feel so worthless," he whispered back in a tiny voice. "I feel like things would be so much simpler if I was different, or just not around."

"You are not worthless," Blaine growled at him fiercely, holding him tightly. "Kurt, what's going on here?"

"Everyone's always having to protect me or take care of me and I'm causing all these problems," his breaths were coming in now short and shallow. "Do you know how expensive it is for my parents to put Finn and I in therapy every week? Mom's been taking extra shifts at the hospital and my dad's always at the shop and that can't be good for his heart. Did you know that Finn's grades have dropped since what happened? Blaine I've ruined everything and I just- I wanted to be good for something. I want to be worth something."

"Sex isn't going to make you feel worth something," Blaine told him in a soft voice. "What was it you said you're dad told you?"

"That I matter," Kurt murmured back to him, "and that sex should be about connecting to another person."

"You matter, exactly," Blaine smiled at him gently. "You- you shouldn't have sex if you don't think you matter- if you think you're worthless – which you're not – because it's not going to give you that Kurt; not if you're not ready for it. Neither of us is ready for it."

"Okay." He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend tightly. "I won't pressure you. We'll- we'll just wait until we're both ready. Besides, you're probably right. I'm not ready. I don't want our first time to be something either of us regrets."

"It's okay," Blaine told him, sinking into Kurt's embrace, "I don't blame you. It's harder for you. I know that."

"I just-" Kurt sighed softly, his breath running over Blaine's curls slightly, "I want to know what it is that makes it so good. My-my experience was horrible. I want to know why people want to do it so much. I mean I know it's supposed to feel good- I just- I don't understand. I want to understand, but when I do, I want it to be with you."

"You will understand," Blaine told him in a gentle voice, "We both will, someday. Just not today, okay?"

"Okay," Kurt agreed, giving him a light squeeze, "Not today, or tomorrow, or the next day, but someday." He sniffed and looked back up at Blaine, "Thank you Blaine."

"For what?"

"Saying no."

Yet still in the back of his mind he could hear Kevin's words echoing there, 'slut, slut, slut.'

Blaine was looking into his eyes with concern reflecting in the flecks of gold in his hazel eyes. He rubbed his arms again and Kurt turned his head away softly.

Blaine took a hand away and used it to carefully and gently grasp his chin with three fingers and tilted Kurt's head back towards him, "What else is bothering you Kurt? Talk to me."

Kurt swallowed as small beads of water collected in his eyes and clung to his lashes. He looked down but Blaine just gently tilted his head upward, "Come on Kurt."

"I just," he shook his head and Blaine's hand fell from his chin and cupped his cheek. A thumb brushed the spot just below his eye to wipe away the moisture that had fallen there. "Blaine-"

"You can tell me anything Kurt," Blaine murmured and brought his head forward slowly to press a light kiss to his lips. He pulled his head back and looked at Kurt again, frowning slightly.

"I know you said I'm not worthless," Kurt whispered in a small voice, "but no matter how many times I try to tell myself I'm not I just hear him in the back of my head."

"Kurt?"

"I just don't understand why you're with me," Kurt murmured and he felt Blaine's lightly calloused fingers slip from his cheek. "I- I've caused so much trouble and- I know- both Kevin and Karofsky, they told me. I'm nothing- nothing but a dirty little slu-"

"Stop it!" Blaine jerked backward and Kurt was surprised to see that there were tears in the corners of Blaine's eyes. "Don't you dare say that Kurt. Don't you dare."

"You said I could tell you anything," Kurt whispered, his voice tiny and hurt. "Blaine I don't understand."

Blaine grabbed Kurt by the shoulders and felt his heart break at the other boy's violent flinch. He gentled his touch and brought Kurt close to his chest so the other boy was curled against him. "Please Kurt," he told the other boy, cradling him close with warm arms, "Please understand that it kills me to hear you talk like that. You're not a slut. You're not dirty and you're not the cause of all this. You didn't ask for this anymore than I did." He stopped, trying to get a handle of his voice. He was very aware of how hoarse and quiet his voice sounded. "I'm with you because I love you."

"But why?" Kurt asked in a whisper, his arms snaking around Blaine's waist and clutching him tightly.

"Because you're you," Blaine told him softly and tightened his hold slightly in response to Kurt's own tightening grip. "I love you because you're sassy and sarcastic and beautiful and caring and a million other wonderful things. You're so strong Kurt and seeing you gives me hope that maybe one day I can be that strong too. You've already made me stronger. So many people love you Kurt. Don't you ever think there must be a reason for that; or did you just forget?"

Kurt didn't speak for a long moment. He just kept his head pressed against Blaine's chest and listened to the comforting thumping of his heartbeat.

"Kurt? Are you listening?"

"Yeah," Kurt murmured after a moment, letting all Blaine's words sink into his brain. After a moment he formed the words carefully and said, "I was just thinking I must be worth something. I have to be. I had to do something to deserve someone like you."

Blaine smiled lightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. That wasn't quite the answer he wanted to hear, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Kurt wasn't able to give it yet.

* * *

><p>Paul Karofsky sat down across from his son and looked him over for a long moment. Prison life was apparently somewhat agreeable to David. The young man across from him was slimmer and fitter since the last time he saw him, although he was a bit paler. "David."<p>

"Hey Dad, nice of you to come and see me," David leaned back in his chair as the words came insincere from his lips.

"This isn't a pleasure visit David," Paul told him in a tight voice. As if visiting a prison could ever be considered a pleasure visit.

"What then, business?" David asked in a wry voice. "Come to tell me news of the outside world?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Paul said in a low tone, "As well as to ask you an important question."

"Go ahead Dad, shoot." David leaned back even farther in his chair and rested his feet up on the table. "I'm listening."

"Some of your friends attacked two students in your school," Paul told him vaguely and wasn't surprised at all when David grinned. Obviously the boy already knew about the attack; probably since he'd been the mastermind behind it. "Obviously this doesn't surprise you."

"What are you talking about Dad? I have no idea what you're talking about," David blatantly lied in a lazy tone, "How could I possibly know what happens at McKinley High? Obviously I don't go there anymore and no one from there really visits me."

Paul shook his head softly, "I actually thought you were sorry for what you'd done. I actually thought that you regretted it; that it was because you were confused and angry. I was wrong, wasn't I?"

"Don't know what you're talking about Dad," he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm lost here."

"After all you did to that boy, how could you possibly send others after him like that? Why can't you let him be? Why can't you let him forget and get on with his life? I don't understand why you insist on torturing that poor kid."

"Because," David pulled his legs off the table and leaned forward towards his father as if he were about to divulge a state secret and lowered his voice into a whisper, "I can, Dad. That's why. I wouldn't expect you to understand."

"You're right David, I don't understand," Paul shook his head and closed his eyes as he rubbed his forehead. "I don't understand where my son went, because you're certainly not him." He opened his eyes and looked at his son for a long moment, "Don't expect any more visits from me David, or your sister and when you get out- don't come calling on us. You're an adult now, so you'll go find somewhere else to live, understand?"

"Whatever, Dad."

He looked at his son steady and spoke very firmly, "My name is Paul."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Well there you go everyone, another chapter to hold you over another week. I hope you were all satisfied with the content of this week's chapter. I wanted to get content for all our major characters in this one (especially finally getting Finn and Rachel to decide to try to work things out, as well as getting into Kurt's state of mind a bit more) and I hope I succeeded in that.

P.S. This was already written before that one review that was about not getting into Kurt's mind enough. I guess that person just didn't have the patience to wait for it to come. Remember: good things come to those who wait!

P.P.S. To all you fellow Canadians: HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEKEND! I hope you have a great one. To all non-Canadians: just have a good weekend.

P.P.P.S. Please leave me a review. I love them so much and they would make my Thanksgiving wonderful (especially since I don't get to have it with my family for the first year ever).


	14. Chapter 14: Innocent

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning:** Mentions of non-con and swearing; as per usual.

**A/N**: This one's a bit shorter than some of the previous, but it's still over 2800 words in content! Also there's another song in this chapter but I felt it fit so well with a few minor lyrical changes. Enjoy!

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><p><span>Chapter 14<span> - Innocent

"Hey, um Hummel," Azimio stood there on his doorstep looking remarkably out of place and uncomfortable.

"I have a first name you know," Kurt said in a quiet voice, lifting his head to look at the football jock with defiance shining brightly in his eyes. "It's Kurt; you mind using it?"

"Sorry, um, Kurt," he surprised the other boy by actually conceding and shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"I guess you decided you wanted your letterman jacket back after all?" Kurt asked, beckoning the boy inside his house with one hand and automatically going to the closet.

"No, actually," Azimio told him, "I came here to talk to you."

Kurt stared at him for a long moment, "What do you want to talk to the school fag about?"

"Don't call yourself that," Azimio growled at him suddenly and Kurt just stared at him in shock. Out of everyone, Azimio was the last person he'd ever expected to tell him off for calling himself a fag. "Look I wanted to talk to you about that PFLAG thing you talked about when you were testifying or whatever."

"You were there?" Kurt asked, not remembering seeing him in the courtroom at all.

"I was in the back, on the defense side," Azimio explained with a bit of a shrug. "It was before I realized that he actually did it. I mean I probably could have handled it if he was just gay, since he was my best friend and all, but-" He paused for a moment before getting himself back on track, "So that PFLAG thing, you said it educated people; like not just gay people but their friends and family too, right?"

"Well yeah," Kurt furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Azimio questioningly, "What about it?"

"Look the stuff with Dave and the football team and what they did to you and your- Blaine- it made me realize some shit; like that words and shit can be really hurtful and um- so can ignorance. Before I guess I just didn't understand and that made me hate you and you know, hate leads to bad shit happening, like what happened with Dave and the football team." It was the longest two sentences Azimio had ever spoken to him and he was totally taken aback by the content of it.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Kurt asked in a soft voice.

"I don't know; make people – make me – understand. I know you don't have anyone to help you start up that PFLAG thing, but if you told me what to do I could help or something. I don't want to be that kid anymore; the one I've been for the past few years. I want to be somebody who's like good and useful, not the best friend of a rapist, you know? I want to be someone who's, um, worth being around or, um, with."

"That's great," Kurt murmured thickly. "It's great that you've decided to give up bullying and want to better yourself, but I can't help you. I just- I can't handle it right now. I'm sorry, but you'll have to find someone else."

Kurt pulled the letterman jacket out of the closet and thrust it at him, "Here. Let's just pretend this is what you came for, okay? I just can't do this right now."

Azimio looked at Kurt, then to the jacket. He could see that the slight boy was trembling slightly and realized that he was partly to blame for it. He'd always be a reminder of what happened; the ex-best friend of the guy who raped him and no matter how well-meaning he could become or how much he could change how he acted or who he was, that fact would never change. Maybe he hadn't committed the crime, but he certainly wasn't innocent.

If anything he wished he could forget David Karofsky ever existed and he knew irrevocably that the boy in front of him felt the same.

He nodded his head shortly in understanding as he took the jacket into his hands. He would burn it later. "Okay. Bye Kurt."

"Bye."

* * *

><p>Rachel sat on a porch swing in her backyard and looked over to her side. Finn was sitting there looking pensive and seemed to be waiting for her to say something. Their silence hung in the air, thick and awkward, and all she could hear was the sound of a small bird chirping at the feeder hung from one of the trees and the distant sound of cars that drove past the front of her house. "So," she said finally, a small smile finding her face as she looked over at him, "This is awkward."<p>

Finn let out a little chuckle and looked over to her, "Yeah, just a little." He scratched the back of his head. If we're going to make this work- I think we might have to talk to each other."

She let out a small sound of amusement. "I think you might be right about that."

Finn paused, turning serious, "I just- It's hard when I still don't really know where we stand. I mean I know that I love you and that you're not totally pissed at me anymore, but I don't know what we are."

"I love you too Finn," she murmured softly, her small hand reaching over and slipping inside his. "And I kind of thought you were my boyfriend."

A childlike grin grew over his face, "Really? You're taking me back?"

She laughed at him softly and leaned up to kiss him chastely on the lips, "I thought that's what we decided yesterday; that we'd get back together and work at it."

A puff of breath escaped Finn's mouth in relief, "I'm so glad. I thought I screwed things up for good." He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. "I promise you right now Rachel, that- that I'll listen before I freak out- no, that's not right." He paused, "that I won't freak out. What I mean to say is I won't get scary anymore. I don't want to scare you. I love you."

She leaned her head against him, "I love you too." She took a few calm breaths just taking in her surroundings and the warm comfort of his body close to hers. "You did scare me Finn, but I forgive you; this time."

"There won't be a next time-" he stopped when he heard footsteps and they both looked up to see a short boy walking towards them looking somewhat out of his comfort zone.

Of course the last time Blaine Anderson had been there he'd made a complete and total fool of himself; and kissed Rachel. Of course that had been in the basement, not the backyard. "Um hey guys. Finn, Burt told me you'd be here. I need to talk to you."

"It's kind of a bad time Dude," Finn motioned to Rachel slightly. "I just made up with my girlfriend."

"Congrats," Blaine smiled weakly, before telling Finn in a quiet voice. "It's Kurt. I'm worried about him."

Both Finn and Rachel frowned at him, before Finn asked, his voice laced with concern, "What do you mean?"

"He might hate me for this," Blaine let out in a mumble, "but I feel like it's important and honestly I don't think I could go to Burt with this, but I have to go to someone, you know?"

Finn frowned more deeply and Rachel sat up straighter before Finn asked his brother's boyfriend, "Blaine, tell me what's going on."

"Do you know that Kurt feels worthless?" Blaine asked after a moment.

"I-," Finn pressed his lips together, before saying in a quiet voice, "Well he said something about feeling like he's a burden or something like that, but I told him he's not."

"I don't think he believed you," Blaine murmured as he let his feet carry him across the grass until he was a few feet away from the couple. He chewed his lower lip softly, "He told me yesterday that he felt worthless and-" he shook his head, "He really took what that Kevin kid said to heart."

Finn frowned even deeper, if that was at all possible, "What exactly did Kevin say?"

"He called him a slut," Blaine all but whispered.

"What?" Finn's fists clenched tightly, but he forced himself to release some of that tension while Blaine continued. Rachel just listened silently, her eyes starting to shine and her lips pursing together.

"Kurt- well- I think everything- those feelings and what Kevin said- made him think that having sex would make him feel worth something, or that it would make things better. I don't know. He said something about normal sex, or real sex and wanting to know what it's like. I- I think I convinced him that sex wasn't the answer, but I'm terrified." He swallowed thickly, "I'm terrified that he's never going to feel normal again; that I'm not going to be enough to make things better for him. The worst part is I know I'm not enough, but Kurt- he doesn't go to anyone else with these things. I mean, he goes to you, but-" he shook his head. "I don't know. I just- I thought you needed to know the extent of the worthlessness he feels. I didn't even know how bad it was until he came to me asking to- well you know."

Finn's mouth dropped open softly, "I had no idea it was that bad."

"He's struggling," Blaine stated quietly.

"I knew that," Finn mumbled defensively, "I just thought- he seemed to be dealing okay."

"Well obviously he was pretending," Rachel finally spoke up with a sigh. "Honestly boys are so clueless. Don't you guys get it? If he feels like a burden he's not going to go telling everyone his problems. He's going to internalize them to try and protect everyone from it." She shook her head, "Kurt's a very private person. He finds it hard to ask for help, or accept it when it's offered."

"Kay, so what do we do?" Finn asked after a moment of silence, looking between Rachel and Blaine.

Rachel seemed to mull it over in her mind for a long minute, before saying carefully. "We use logic." She gave a small smile, "There's no denying that he's dealing with a lot, but if he leans on _all_ his friends then no one's going to be overwhelmed when they support him. We just have to convince him to share the load."

"Okay," Blaine spoke slowly, "and how do we do that."

She looked at both boys carefully, before saying in a firm voice, "You leave that part to me."

* * *

><p>"Um," Rachel sounded unsure of herself as she stepped up in front of Kurt's bed and clasped his hand quietly. "I just- I know that school's over and the glee club doesn't get together a lot anymore, but I wanted to make sure you know that I'm still here for you, okay?"<p>

Kurt stared at her for a long moment, speaking thickly, "I know Rachel."

"I don't think you do," she shook her head with a whisper. "If you knew you'd call me when you need someone. You don't call me Kurt and I know you don't call Mercedes. You can talk to me, you know? Maybe I don't understand, but that doesn't change that I can listen."

"I know you feel like you can't burden us with what you're going through," she said in a quiet voice and noticing how he winced at the word 'burden'. "What you have to remember is that like picking up something heavy; the more people who help, the easier it is."

He bit down on his lip, not speaking.

"Listen to me Kurt," she pleaded softly, "This is affecting us too. Not in the same way of course, but it kills me to see you hurting and I know it's killing the others too. I- we need you to know that there's still more to this; more to life than just getting through each day. There's healing."

"It hurts."

"I know," she murmured, sinking into a sitting position beside him and allowing his head to lean into her shoulder. "Getting past it is probably going to hurt. Sometimes healing hurts more than what happened in the first place-"

"I don't think anything could hurt more than that," Kurt corrected in a hoarse voice.

"I guess in this case, you're right," she agreed quietly.

"I don't know what to do Rachel," he admitted in a quiet voice. "I don't know how to deal with this. I guess the stuff with Dr. MacLeod helps, but I still can't shake it."

"Shake what?"

"The feeling that I'll never feel any better than this," he answered morosely, "That pain is all there is. My mom died then the bullying and then Karofsky and now- this. It's like I'm not even living, just surviving."

"There's more," she promised, her heart clenching slightly at the sight of one of her closest friends in so much pain and confusion. "You know there's more. I mean, Blaine makes you happy, doesn't he?"

He smiled wanly, "Yeah."

"There you go," she told him carefully. She licked her lips anxiously, "Kurt there's more to this. I know there is. There has to be."

"How do you know?"

"I don't know," she said honestly, "I just do."

"I wish I could believe in that too."

She didn't answer him back in regular words, instead when she opened her mouth they floated from it in a soft melody.

_I guess you really did it this time  
>Left yourself in your warpath<br>Lost your balance on a tightrope  
>Lost your mind tryin' to get it back<em>

_Wasn't it easier in your lunchbox days?_  
><em>Always a bigger bed to crawl into<em>  
><em>Wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything?<em>  
><em>And everybody believed in you?<em>

_It's all right, just wait and see_  
><em>Your string of lights is still bright to me<em>  
><em>Oh, who you are is not where you've been<em>  
><em>You're still an innocent<em>  
><em>You're still an innocent<em>

_There's some things you can't speak of_  
><em>But at night you'll live it all again<em>  
><em>You wouldn't be shattered on the floor now<em>  
><em>If only you would see what you know now then<em>

_Wasn't it easier in your firefly-catchin' days?_  
><em>And everything out of reach, someone bigger brought down to you<em>  
><em>Wasn't it beautiful runnin' wild 'til you fell asleep?<em>  
><em>Before the monsters caught up to you?<em>

_It's all right, just wait and see_  
><em>Your string of lights is still bright to me<em>  
><em>Oh, who you are is not where you've been<em>  
><em>You're still an innocent<em>

_It's okay, life is a tough crowd_

_seventeen, and still growin' up now  
>Who you are is not where you've been<br>You're still an innocent_

_Time turns flames to embers_  
><em>You'll have new Septembers<em>  
><em>Every one of us has messed up too<em>

_Lives change like the weather_  
><em>I hope you remember<em>  
><em>Today is never too late to<em>  
><em>Be brand new<em>

_It's all right, just wait and see_  
><em>Your string of lights are still bright to me<em>  
><em>Oh, who you are is not where you've been<em>  
><em>You're still an innocent<em>

_It's okay, life is a tough crowd_  
><em>seventeen, and still growin' up now<em>  
><em>Who you are is not where you've been<em>  
><em>You're still an innocent<em>

_Lost your balance on a tight rope_

_Never too late to get it back_

_(Innocent by Taylor Swift)_

"You're right," she told him once she finished, seeing the tears that were growing in his eyes, "You are surviving and for now, that's good because that means you're a survivor. Someday Kurt, someday you're going to do more than just survive. You're going to live and you're going to be happy, I know it." Her own cheeks grew wet as she spoke the words, hugging her friend close.

"You think so?"

"I know so," she said in a firm voice. "I know you Kurt. You're strong and you've got so many people who love you. You're going to get through this. That's a promise. You just need to trust your friends a little more Kurt. It's not going to hurt you to lean on us and it's not going to hurt us either. We just want to be there for you and trust me when I say I'm talking for the entire Glee club here."

"You know," he spoke thickly after a moment, looking at the floor, "I don't feel much like a survivor. I still feel like a victim."

"You _are_ a survivor," Rachel repeated importantly. "You were victimized Kurt, but you're only a victim for as long as you let yourself be."

"So," he said with difficultly, as if trying to wrap his head around her words, "I was victimized, but I'm not a victim?"

"You'll get there anyways," she promised, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek, "Right now you're kind of both, I think. You'll be a survivor soon though. I can tell, but you need to let your friends back in Kurt, please."

Rachel let out a sigh of relief when Kurt's arms squeezed around her tightly, "Okay. I'll try."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Wow I've been so busy lately. I may even need to postpone a week of updating so that I can finish some big papers for my classes in University. I will try my best to get one up for next Friday, but if I can't then you can expect a update on Monday October 24 instead (my reading week will have started by then) and then another on the Friday of that week. Hopefully then I'll get back on track with updates. Sorry about that!

Please leave me a review! You know I love them.

P.S. Just a little sneak peek: Kurt may not be happy about what Blaine told the others if/when he finds out!


	15. Chapter 15: Trust

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning**: I don't think there's any swearing in this one, just allusions to non-con and sexual stuff.

**A/N**: I feel bad because this one's pretty short compared to the others, plus it's been two weeks since the last update. I apologize but a lot has been going on between university assignments (who assigns homework during a break?), a visit from my mother and getting a nasty virus (I was so lucky to get that during my break [that was not a break] wasn't I?) Anyways here's a chapter to tide you over. I won't promise to update again midweek to make up for the missed week, but it's a possibility if I have the time. At the very least I should be back to once a week updates.

Also, cool news, this story has now broken 100 pages in content (not including author's notes). Anyways, please enjoy the newest chapter.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 15<span> – Trust

Finn lingered at the doorway of the room for a moment before taking a tentative step inside. Kurt looked at him for a long moment, his eyes red rimmed and said, "Yeah?"

"You mind if I come in?" Finn asked his step-brother in hesitant voice.

Kurt faked a laugh, "You're already in Finn. Why bother asking?"

Finn's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, "Look Du- sorry, Kurt; are you okay?" Finn paused slightly and added quietly, "I know that you've still been um- feeling not so good; not that anyone expects you to be okay right now, but um- Blaine told us some stuff and honestly I'm kind of worried about you bro."

"I'm fine-" Kurt stopped mid-sentence and looked hard at his brother before his voice took on a tense tone, "Blaine told who what?"

Some color drained from Finn's face and he shifted from one foot to the other. "He just told me and Rachel really," he tried to make it sound better, and knew he was failing miserably. Somehow he just couldn't stop the words as they fell from his lips, "You know about what happened like last night or whatever."

Kurt's fists tensed and he took a deep breath, "And what exactly did he say happened last night?"

"Well you know, that stuff that you asked Blaine about," Finn added awkwardly. "He was worried about your like self-esteem and stuff, like, because of that."

"The stuff I asked Blaine about," Kurt repeated woodenly as color flushed into his face half in embarrassment and half in growing rage.

"Look Kurt," Finn took another step forward but didn't offer his brother any physical comfort. Everything in Kurt's body language was telling him he might get punched in the face if he did. It might not hurt that much, but he wasn't willing to risk it. "He was just worried about you. Blaine loves you. He wants what's best for you; that's all. He- he just couldn't deal with that alone, that's all. You can't get mad at him for that. He's trying to help you man."

"By telling people our personal business?" Kurt asked in a barely veiled fury. "Somehow I don't see that as helping, Finn." There was a pause, "Is that why Rachel came over?" He waited for Finn to answer but the taller boy was simply staring at him, "Well is it?"

"Um, maybe?" Finn mumbled, before reiterating again, "but it's just 'cause he's worried about you Kurt. We're all worried about you-"

"Well you don't need to worry about me okay! I'm fine."

"You suck at lying," Finn shrugged at him quietly. "You're totally not fine Dude." Finn took a step forward and sat down on the bed beside his brother and patted his knee gently, "No one expects you to be fine."

Kurt turned his head away, "Why do you keep saying that?"

"Because it's true man," Finn told him with a frown. "No one expects you to get over something like what you went through so quickly. Anyone who does is an idiot." Finn paused for a moment when Kurt finally turned his head back again to look at him. "No one's said they expect you to be over it, did they? 'Cause I would hit them since apparently I have anger issues."

Kurt's lips twitched upward slightly. "No Finn, no one's said anything like that; so don't go around punching anyone, okay?"

Finn faked a disappointed look, "Aw damn."

"You're right though," Kurt said after a long moment, now more serious. "I'm not fine.

"And that's okay, man," Finn told him in a soft voice. He paused for a long moment before venturing to ask, "Are you still mad at Blaine; 'cause you know he really was just trying to do what's best for you, right?"

"Of course I'm still mad. I'm furious. He told you that I wanted to have sex with him," Kurt growled and rising to his feet. He immediately starting pacing angrily in front of his brother, "That's our private business; it has nothing to do with you or Rachel-"

Finn stood hesitantly, wanting to reach over and put a hand on Kurt's shoulder, but the other boy was still pacing quickly. Instead he just opened his mouth to defend the object of Kurt's anger, all the while hoping it didn't turn said anger on him, "Come on Kurt. Cut him some slack; he's hurting too."

"I'm hurting worse!" Kurt stopped himself then said more quietly, "That's not what I meant. I just- that's- it's intimate and personal and how on earth am I supposed to trust him when he's going around telling everyone-"

"Not everyone. Technically he just told me and Rachel-"

"You're not helping Finn!" Kurt's voice grew louder again and just shook his head, his muscles tense. He took a moment before speaking in a voice that was scarily dispassionate, "I have to go." He brushed past his step-brother and was gone in an instant, leaving Finn standing in his room staring after him.

Finn swallowed and carefully extracted his phone from his pocket. Blaine was going to need some warning that Hurricane Kurt was probably on his way.

* * *

><p><em>Kurt's on his way. He's pretty pissed about last night.<em>

Blaine looked at the text message he'd received about ten minutes before and winced. He had a slight idea why Kurt might be angry. It had felt wrong to share that intimate moment between them with anybody, let alone Finn and Rachel, but he'd had to do it; hadn't he?

He fidgeted on the couch, waiting for the inevitable ring of the doorbell and almost on cue; there it was.

He heard his aunt answer the door and the happy greeting she gave to Kurt, telling him to "Come on in Kurt."

He looked up at Kurt carefully, not meeting his eyes and said in a soft voice, "Hi."

"What on earth gave you the idea that it was okay to- to talk about our private moments like that?" Kurt asked with his voice tight and carefully controlled. Both boys were very aware that Blaine's aunt was in the next room.

"I didn't know what else to do," Blaine admitted in a soft voice. His eyes found Kurt's and he looked away almost immediately. He couldn't take the betrayal that was shining in the ocean of his eyes. "I- I was worried about you Kurt. I see you hurting and I just-I- it's like my heart splits in two."

There was a long pause of silence between the two of them before Kurt spoke up, "And how was telling my brother and his girlfriend about our sex life supposed to help you?"

"It wasn't to help me Kurt. It was to help you-"

"All you did was hurt me Blaine! All you did was break my trust," Kurt snapped back, his voice rising. "How could you do that? I trusted you! I trusted you Blaine. I trusted you with my heart and my body and you just- you told people."

He couldn't stop the single tear that rolled down his cheek, "I'm sorry Kurt."

"Sorry is just not enough Blaine. You can't take that back." Kurt shook his head tensely. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"That I love you and you were pushing your friends away despite that you need them now more than ever. Kurt I can't be the only one you turn to- I just can't-" he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"You're my boyfriend. That's what you're supposed to do, isn't it; be there for me when things are hard?" Kurt's voice had lost its control, rising louder and higher in his anger. "You're not supposed to go around spilling my secrets!"

"This is hard for me too Kurt," Blaine whispered, on some part he felt he deserved that anger. He had broken Kurt's trust, but only because he was trying to help. "I don't know what I'm doing here. I'm just doing what I think is best-"

"Well you're not doing a very good job of it, are you?" Kurt asked in a particularly nasty voice, and almost immediately he regretted it. Blaine's face had scrunched in pain as his head bowed and his shoulders trembled as if he were doing whatever he could to hold himself together in the face of those words.

Kurt knew Blaine was doing everything he could. Nothing Blaine did could ever make him deserve those words delivered in such a cruel way. Something in his heart twisted painfully, he had to fix this, "Blaine I-"

"Kurt," a female voice cut in sharply and he turned around to see Marina Anderson standing there with her hands on her hips. "I think you should leave now. I understand you're hurting, but that does not give you the right to make my- to make Blaine hurt too."

"I-I," he stopped his stuttering and looked over to where Blaine was still sitting, looking both shocked and miserable. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that, I promise."

"Kurt," Marina said his name even more firmly. "I asked you to leave. You can come back when you've calmed down."

"Please- I just want to make it up to him- I'm sorry," he pleaded softly, all the anger had drained out of him the moment those nasty words had escaped his mouth. There was no room now that regret had firmly taken up a residence in his body.

"Kurt," she just shook her head, "I don't want to have to ask you again."

Blaine's voice picked up softly and shaking slightly, "It's okay Auntie. He- let him stay."

A sigh of relief left Kurt the moment that Blaine's aunt acquiesced to his request, "Okay, but I'm staying right here."

Kurt nodded at her softly, before he took three steps towards his boyfriend and fell to his knees. He immediately gathered Blaine's hands in his. They were both shaking. "I didn't mean it Blaine. I love you and you've helped me through this more than anyone. I shouldn't have said that. It was wrong- I just- it hurts so much and I don't know how to make the pain go away."

He wanted nothing more than to press his head against Blaine's thighs and just let out each and every heartwrenching sob bottled up inside him, but he couldn't. He needed desperately to make Blaine know how sorry he was and breaking down wasn't going to help him do that.

Tears slipped into his eyes and he extracted one hand from Blaine's just long enough to wipe them away. "I never meant that. I know- I know that you were only trying to help. It's just- it's so hard to trust people and you and Finn and my parents are the only ones I can really trust so- so it hurt to know you told someone about last night. I thought that was private."

Blaine's eyes were glossy as he stared at the boy apologizing to him. "It was private. I only told Finn because I was scared Kurt. I was terrified seeing you so sad and I thought- you know since you trust Finn- that it would be okay to tell him. Rachel- well she's one of your best friends- I just thought- I don't know what I thought. I'm sorry Kurt. I'm sorry."

"No," Kurt rose from his knees and settled next to Blaine on the couch, all the while hoping Marina wouldn't ask him to leave again. "Don't be sorry. I'm should be sorry. I had no right to be as angry as I was. I had no right to say what I said. You've done the best job at being there for me. You're always there to let me know that I don't have to go through this alone. God, I'm so sorry I ever implied you weren't. Honestly I don't know what I'd have done without you."

"Maybe neither of us should be sorry, but just- forgiven instead?" Blaine asked in a soft voice, the corners of his mouth upturning in a smile.

Kurt sniffled softly, "You always have the best ideas." He stamped a gentle kiss onto Blaine's lips. "And if you need to go to someone because you're worried or scared you can, just please don't go to my dad when it comes to- um- those things, alright?"

"I will on one condition," Blaine told him in a serious voice.

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed, "What's that?"

"That you start talking to your friends," Blaine's voice was firm, despite the fact that only moments ago it had been shaking. It only reaffirmed to Kurt how much this really meant to his boyfriend- how much he and his happiness really meant to his boyfriend.

"For you I'd do anything," Kurt answered him in a soft voice. He kissed him again gently before looking up at Blaine's aunt and saying quietly, "I guess I'll go now."

"Kurt," Marina said in a gentle voice, "Why don't you stay and have something to eat?"

Kurt gave a genuine smile, pleased to be so easily forgiven by Blaine's protective guardian, "Thank you, but I think I might drop by and see what Mercedes is up to. I haven't really talked to her in a while."

"That sounds like fun Kurt," Marina said with a smile, "Maybe another day, then?"

"Of course," Kurt nodded, still trying to be as respectful as possible, just in case.

Blaine smiled immediately and squeezed his hands, "Have fun, okay?"

"I will," Kurt told him in a soft voice, before asking, "What are your plans for tonight?"

"I think I might see if Finn wants to hang out, if that doesn't bother you or anything?" Blaine spoke almost questioningly and immediately Kurt knew that their argument might have been forgiven, but damage had still been done and it would take more than just one heartfelt apology to fix it.

"It doesn't bother me in the slightest," Kurt promised him softly. "I'll see you tomorrow or even tonight if I get home while you're still with Finn." He paused again, before putting as much emotion and conviction behind it as possible, "I love you Blaine, always."

"I love you too Kurt," Blaine replied as he leaned forward to press a soft yet somehow searing kiss to Kurt's mouth.

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry for the wait and the shortness. I hope you can forgive me and will still leave me a review. I just love reviews!


	16. Chapter 16: Fake it 'Til You Make It

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning**: Mentions of non-con; as per usual.

**A/N**: This chapter was very difficult to write (more emotionally that anything) due to some things going on in my life at the moment. I don't know if that helped the story or not- although I do know that I did pour a lot of myself and even some of my personal experiences into this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 16 –<span> Fake it 'Til You Make It

"Kurt!" A large grin grew on Mercedes face when she saw Kurt on her front porch, "Finally! Get your ass in here." She tugged on her arm lightly, "For the next few hours you are totally mine boo."

Kurt's mouth quivered upward as he allowed himself to be pulled through Mercedes familiar house and up the stairs to her bedroom. She almost immediately sat him on the deep purple bedcover and asked brightly, "So what did you have in mind? Movies and ice cream? Makeovers?"

"You sure seem happy," Kurt mentioned rather than answering her question, considering her excited demeanor.

"Oh Kurt I am happy!" She gushed, climbing onto the bed and crossing her legs. She beckoned for him to sit up across from her and he moved over with a small smile. "Why shouldn't I be happy?" She continued, still grinning, "I think I might have a boyfriend and my best friend decided to come over for the first time in like ever. I might be the happiest girl in the world."

Kurt gave her a somewhat sad smile, "I'm sorry I haven't been around often 'Cedes."

"Uh uh," she shook her head at him firmly, her smile sliding only slightly, "It's not your fault boo. You've had a lot on your plate. I understand. I'm just glad you're here that's all."

Kurt's smile brightened slightly and he patted her leg, before asking slyly, "So tell me about this boyfriend? Would he happen to be a certain trouty mouthed blondie I know?"

Her chocolate skin blushed and her smile grew again as she nodded. "Well, we're not official or anything, but we went on a few dates and Kurt- they were absolutely magical."

There was a long pause before Kurt gave her a small push on her arm, "Well, what are you waiting for? I need a first date breakdown 'Cedes."

"Like you don't already know," she joked in a soft voice, "Sam may have mentioned that he asked you about it."

"I still need the details Mercedes," Kurt reminded her, his smile becoming a little more genuine at her contagious joy. This was exactly what he needed, a proper distraction, "Come on, tell me what happened."

"Well," she paused for dramatic effect, "First he picked me up at my house. Well, he walked over anyways and we just talked about anything and everything until we got to the park. I'm sure you know which one. Apparently you suggested it."

Kurt smiled and just shrugged his shoulders with a sly, "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't."

She rolled her eyes at him with a grin, "When we got there, there was a blanket already laid out and everything and he started pulling food out of his backpack: sandwiches, chicken salad, sparkling cider," She blushed again, "and chocolate covered strawberries. It was very romantic."

"The boy's got game, that's for sure," Kurt agreed, before asking quickly, "What happened next?" Somehow deep down he knew if he kept her talking about Sam he might avoid that question that always seemed to pop up whenever he was around anyone.

"Well we ate and talked and," she paused again softly, before letting out in a whisper, "umm fed each other strawberries."

"That's so sickeningly cute it just might kill me," Kurt chuckled lightly.

Her eyes did another circuit before she added, "We went for another walk after, around the boardwalk and when we were looking out at the late," there was another pause, "He said 'Mercedes, I don't know how to ask this, but can I kiss you?'"

"Please tell me you said yes? You did say yes, didn't you?" She shook her head, still grinning madly, "What? Mercedes you didn't?"

"No," she shook her head, "I just kissed him."

He let out a sigh and rolled his own eyes, "Geez, you had me scared there for a minute 'Cedes."

She grinned, "What? I had to build suspense, didn't I?" She let out a laugh, "Anyways we went on a couple more dates, just simple stuff like renting movies and going for walks, but- Kurt- he makes me really happy."

"I'm glad Cedes," Kurt smiled at her and leaned forward to squeeze her into a hug, "You really deserve it, someone who makes you happy, you know?"

"Aww thanks boo," she leaned back out of the hug after a moment and looked carefully into his face, "Enough about me. How are you doing Kurt?"

Kurt grimaced. It was the dreaded question. It was the one everyone asked but only a few really cared to know the real answer to. He thought Mercedes was one of the ones who wanted to know the truth and reminded himself of his promise to Blaine before he said quietly, "Honestly, I'm kind of struggling a bit. I mean I'm better than I used to be, but it's still hard 'Cedes."

"You want to talk about it?" She asked, her bright smile falling into a soft, concerned one.

Kurt licked his lips, seeing how the brightness had faded out of her smile. Only moments ago she'd been so happy; he didn't want to mess with that. "Let's not ruin the good mood with stuff like that right now, okay?" He definitely couldn't handle it if she ever felt even a taste of the pain chewing at his insides each and every day.

"Kurt," Mercedes pleaded with him gently, "I'm your best friend. You can tell me whatever you need to. You don't have to worry about ruining a good mood or bringing me down, because you won't. Kurt I just want to be there for you."

"Mercedes I can't right now, okay? I just can't."

"Kurt, please-"

"Stop pushing me!" Kurt yelled suddenly, clamping his hands over his ears while she tried to continue begging him to tell her what was wrong. A few tears collected in the corners of his eyes and his hands fell downward, "I just can't, okay? Please don't make me."

The last sentence that slipped so softly from his mouth split her heart in two and she whispered to him softly as she reached a hand out to pat his knee in what she hoped was a comforting manner, "Kurt, I won't make you, okay? I promise. I'm sorry for pushing."

He looked at her hand, not seeing the dark skinned flesh, but the large pale hands that had once pinned him down roughly and let out a violent shudder before leaping from the bed, "Please no. Let me go. I- I have to go." With that said he darted from her room, leaving someone staring after him in shock for the second time that day.

* * *

><p>Kurt flew into his house, not paying attention to the two boys playing video games on the couch, but passing them completely on his mad dash to his bedroom. Stopping wasn't an option considering the monster chasing him.<p>

He flicked his lock quickly and pressed his back tight against the door, breathing in deeply. He swallowed deeply and sank into a sitting position to hug his knees tightly, all the while trying to remind himself that Karofsky was in jail.

"I'm safe here," he murmured to himself quietly as his body shook with bottled sobs, "I'm safe here. He's not coming. He's not coming. He can't. He can't. He's in jail and he's not getting out for six years." His nails pressed into his fists, "He's not coming. He can't. He can't hurt me anymore."

A knock came at the door and he jumped as a voice called in softly, "Kurt? Are you okay?"

He shook his head silently despite that he wasn't visible to the boy outside his door. His limbs trembled with fear as it pulsed rapidly through his body and before he even knew what he was doing he'd grabbed his bedding and chucked it across the room with a loud, "Argh," escaping his mouth.

The knocking came louder and this time another voice called in, "Kurt! It's me. It's Blaine, let me in."

Kurt didn't pay the other boy any attention. Throwing his bedding had felt surprisingly good; made him feel oddly safe and his hands found his computer chair and sent it sailing into the wall with a loud crash.

"Kurt let us in!" Finn called in this time, sounding almost frightened.

He grabbed a stack of paper all riddled with notes, songs and poetry and threw those to the floor too. He grabbed his DVD rack and sent it toppling over. This resounding crash and clatter of items sounded even better than when his computer chair had hit the wall.

It was like it was all escaping him and he couldn't stop it. Maybe if he made enough noise, sounded scary enough, Karofsky wouldn't come inside. Maybe he'd think more than one person was in the room.

"Kurt if you don't open the door I swear to God that I'll kick it down!" Finn yelled from outside the door, but Kurt continued not to hear him.

Suddenly the door flew inward and Kurt blanched, trying to scramble to the computer chair for something to chuck in that direction.

Two arms wrapped around him tightly and held him back. He went stiff for just a second, before flailing his arms out and screaming, "Let me go! Stop it! Stop touching me!"

"No!" Blaine's voice was firm as a flailing fist managed to find his cheek. "Kurt you have to stop this! Please, it's just me and Finn. We're not going to hurt you. You know I'd never hurt you but you have to stop this. This isn't helping, please."

"Let me go. Let me go. Let me go," Kurt's screams slid into begging as he started to go limp in the hold around his waist.

Blaine turned him around gently, but still keeping a firm grip on his hysterical boyfriend, "No Kurt. I won't let you go. I'll never let you go and that's not a bad thing. I'm not here to hurt you. No one here will ever hurt you. Please, just- come back here and remember that. I love you and I'll never hurt you and I'm not going to let you hurt yourself but if you keep doing this, you're going to, whether on purpose or on accident."

Kurt's eyes seemed to focus slightly as he sagged into his boyfriend and whispered, "He's not here. He can't be. He's in jail."

Blaine nodded, squeezing him gently, "That's right Kurt."

He trembled and let his jellylike legs carry him over to the now bare bed and sank into it. He looked up with reddened eyes and whispered in a small voice, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Blaine whispered to him softly.

"He's right," Finn nodded his head as he bent down to right the computer chair and rolled it back over to his brother's desk, before pulling the DVD stand up and starting to shove DVD's haphazardly back into place. "It's not your fault Kurt."

"I-I-"

"What happened at Mercedes' house Kurt?" Blaine asked in a quiet voice as Finn continued to pick up the fallen items.

"I couldn't talk about it, I'm sorry," he murmured quietly. "Not to her. I don't know why. I just couldn't. She pushed me to tell her what was wrong and I just- I just- all of a sudden it was like he was right there in her bedroom and I just had to get out of there. I just had to." He lowered his head and shook it, whispering, "Why can't it just be over?"

"I don't know," Blaine shook his head sadly.

"I think-" Kurt leaned his head into Blaine's shoulder as the other boy softly rubbed his back, "I think if I never start pushing passed these things it's never going to get better. I should- I should probably apologize to Mercedes."

"She's on her way here," Finn told his brother in a soft voice. "I texted her when you ran upstairs asking what happened and that you looked upset."

"Oh," he nodded his head against Blaine's shoulder. He sniffed slightly, before speaking, "I- I didn't really try to tell her anything. I thought- I thought if I could fake being happy that- that eventually I would be. Or that if I could least be happy she's happy- but- it didn't work. I'm sorry."

"Kurt you just can't fake it until you make it," Finn said softly after a moment as he shuffled the papers together, trying to neaten the pile.

"I guess I know that now," Kurt mumbled as the doorbell rang and Finn left to answer it. The room had been tidied, slightly anyways. It was now no worse than Finn's room usually was.

A moment later Mercedes appeared in the doorway with Finn, looking fairly nervous, "Hey boo."

"Hey Mercedes, I'm sorry," he said with a wince, standing up from the bed and padding over to embrace her lightly. "I didn't mean to freak out and scare you like that."

"It's not your fault boo," she told him sadly, "I shouldn't have pushed you like that."

"Yes you should have," Kurt shook his head at her. "Okay I mean having a flashback isn't the greatest thing, but- but I have to start letting people in. I do. I- I have at least start letting you in. I don't know how I'd survive without my best friend around." He beckoned her over to the bed to sit down and crawled up on it too, grabbing Blaine's hand before he could move away. "Maybe we could try again, and maybe Blaine and Finn could stay, for a little bit anyways. I just- I'm used to them being around, you know?"

She nodded and smiled gently, "Of course; as long as they don't mind."

Blaine squeeze Kurt's hand, "Like I said earlier; I'll never let you go."

Finn just settled down in the slightly banged up computer chair and shrugged his shoulders, "You couldn't get rid of me if you tried."

Mercedes sat down across from him and looked him carefully in the eye, "This might be a stupid question, but- how are you doing?"

Kurt's heard clenched tightly and he forced his eyes up to look at hers. Her chocolate eyes were shining with concern and her hands were clutched in her lap.

He could understand why. The last time she'd reached out to him he'd freaked out and run.

"I don't know if I have an answer to that yet," he whispered carefully, reaching out the one hand that wasn't squeezing Blaine's and sought out hers.

"You can tell me Kurt," Mercedes murmured to him softly, taking the proffered hand and holding it in both of hers. "I'm here for you, whatever you need me for. Even if you think you shouldn't, or if you think it's not fair to me or something silly like that; I'm here for you. Honestly, you shouldn't have to worry about what's not fair for me or anyone else, because what happened to you was totally unfair. It's unfair that you think you have to go through it alone, because baby you don't."

"It's not fair," Kurt agreed in his softest voice, before it slowly grew more audible. "It's not fair that I have to see him wherever I go even though he's not really there. It's not fair that- that I didn't get to give away my virginity. I literally lost it- it was stolen from me," his voice shook at the words, "It's not fair." Several tears tracked down his face, "It's not fair that I have to relive it most nights, or that- that I flinch whenever someone gets to close. It's not fair the way people look at me now. It wasn't my fault. It's not fair."

"It's not fair," Mercedes agreed softly, opening her arms so Kurt could slip into her embrace. "Someone as wonderful as you doesn't deserve all that; no one does."

"Mercedes," he clutched her tightly, "When does it get better? When does it all just stop?"

"Oh boo," she found herself trembling to hold back her tears as her heart began that slow split down the middle, "I don't know." She rubbed his back gently as his fingers dug into her shoulder blades, "I don't know, but I'm here. I'm always going to be here. You're not alone, okay? You're just not. You've got me, and Finn, and Blaine and your parents and Glee club. You're not alone."

"I just-" he pulled back from the embrace and sniffled, "I don't get it- why you're all still here. I don't understand. I know I'm not really alone, but I still feel it. I still feel the loneliness creeping in on me because no matter what I just feel like I deserve it."

A fierceness pierced Mercedes voice, "No one deserves that."

"You don't get it," he shook his head, "I- I'm- it's like I'm dirty or damaged or-"

"No you're not," Blaine spoke up softly, reaching out for his boyfriend again and touching one of the tears on his cheeks with his thumb, before swiping it away. "You're none of those things Kurt and you don't deserve to be alone. You just don't."

"I never said it was rational," Kurt whispered in a soft voice, shaking his head. He paused for a moment, "And you know- I am kind of alone. I don't have anyone who really understands, but maybe that's a good thing. No one else should have to feel like this."

"Kurt," Mercedes' voice was soft and small, "I know I can't understand, but I can still be there for you, can't I?"

"I-I-" Kurt shook his head, his heart tightening. He was surrounded by three people who obviously loved and cared about him, but he couldn't let it really sink in. He was damaged- he was so damaged he couldn't accept their love fully. He bowed his head and pressed it into his hands.

"Kurt?" Blaine cautiously pressed a hand in the crook between Kurt's neck and shoulder in a gentle caress, "Are you okay?"

"I'm just lost," Kurt whispered, keeping his face hidden away, closing himself off from the world and the people around him. "I don't know how to get back. I don't know how to get myself back."

Finn stood awkwardly, having watched with silent helplessness, unsure what to do, or how to help. "You're not lost," Finn spoke finally in a quiet voice. "Kurt, you're right here- with us."

"It's not that kind of lost," Kurt murmured, shaking his head. "It's the kind of lost where you know where you've been, but not where you're going and you know you can never go back there again; not to the place where you felt safe and whole. It's like one wrong step and you're right back where you started, right back at square one and every step is like you're walking barefoot on broken glass. It's like being stuck in a maze of broken glass but if you take a wrong turn you're right back in the middle of it again. And do you know who's standing in the middle with you; Karofsky."

"Kurt- I-" Mercedes shook her head, at a loss for words.

Kurt gave a sad, grimacing smile, "You wanted to know how I felt, right?"

She nodded her head as a tear traced her cheek, "I just wish you didn't feel that way. I just wish I could take that away."

Kurt shrugged his shoulders weakly, "I don't know if anyone can."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Literally cried while writing this; especially when Kurt talks about being in a maze of broken glass. I have a very personal connection to this story that stems from several years back and sometimes it just gets hard when writing, but it's also very therapeutic.

Just for clarification; I'm **not** saying that what happened to Kurt happened to me.

Anyways, please leave me a review.


	17. Chapter 17: Not Alone

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning**: Swearing and mentions of non-con.

**A/N**: Holy cow is it Friday again already? I feel like just yesterday I was posting chapter 16! I know it's not very original to insert Darren Criss's song "Not Alone" but I couldn't help myself. It just seemed to fit with everything that happened in the last chapter, and what's happening in this chapter. Forgive me?

I also wanted to thank everyone for their reviews last chapter. They were so sweet and caring that it actually kind of blew me away and actually that's kind of what inspired me in writing this chapter (I'm no longer ahead, at least not by much). Anyways please enjoy this chapter. We're getting closer to the end now. I don't know how many more chapters, but I'm thinking maybe two or three. Oh yeah and I apologize if my portrayal of the rally (despite that it's not in this chapter) isn't accurate. I've never been to one so I'm kind of just guessing from what I've seen on TV and from some internet research, but then again I assume that each one is kind of different.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 17<span> – Not Alone

At his return from the shop Burt did his secret routine he'd started a few months ago. Every night he would walk passed his sons' bedroom doors, just to be sure that they were okay. Both boys would be embarrassed if they ever knew, but he couldn't help himself. As he padded passed Kurt's door he suddenly did a double take. The door was ajar and the jamb was cracked. His heart started pounding as the possibilities of what might have happened.

Someone could have broken into the house. They could have been robbed. Kurt could have been attacked again.

"Kurt?" He called into the room softly, almost afraid of what he would find. He placed a hand on the door and pushed it in quickly, his breath hitching as he found his son sitting up in his bed in pajamas and rubbing his eyes. "Kurt, are you okay?"

Kurt frowned sleepily, "Yeah. I mean I think I was almost asleep, so I'm pretty tired, but I'm okay, Dad." He blinked his eyes again, "Why? What's going on?"

A breath of relief escaped him, "I- I was worried. You're door- it's broken and I-"

"Oh," Kurt cut him off softly, "Sorry. That was Finn."

Burt paused for a moment, before stepping into his son's room and sitting on the edge of the bed. He spoke slowly to try to let what Kurt had just said sink in, "Finn… kicked in your door?"

Kurt nodded, his cheeks reddening slightly and added in a whisper, "It's not his fault. He was worried about me."

"Okay, I think you need to explain this to me," Burt told his son softly. "What exactly happened to make Finn feel the need to kick your door in?"

Kurt's face reddened even more and he looked down at his hands, "I was freaking out and the door was locked. They didn't know what I was doing. I guess- I guess they were scared I would accidentally hurt myself."

"What exactly do you mean by freaking out?" Burt asked gently, placing his onto one of his son's comfortingly. At his son's silence he added quietly, "Come on Kurt. It's me. You can tell me anything, kid."

"I just-" Kurt stopped, before relaying in a slightly hoarse voice. "I just- I really thought he was chasing me, Dad, and I was so scared and I just-" he shook his head and stopped, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Burt wrapped his arms around his son and hugged him softly.

"I'm just so embarrassed," Kurt whispered with a sniff.

He rubbed his son's back gently, "You shouldn't be embarrassed kiddo. You have a right to be scared sometimes. I don't blame you for being scared. After everything I'd be surprised; even worried, if you weren't."

Kurt swallowed and nodded, before adding in a soft voice, "I swore I saw him. I could swear he was right outside my door waiting for me and- and I just had to do something to keep him out so I started throwing stuff." He licked his lips, "Blaine and Finn could hear me freaking out. They told me to open the door but I couldn't. I just couldn't because it sounded like _him_ and I don't know why."

A grim look passed over Burt's face and he gently hugged his son again, "Maybe that's something you can ask Dr. MacLeod. I don't really have an answer for you Kurt. I wish I did, but I don't. Whatever happens though, you can come to me, okay? If you feel scared like that- just come to me or call me, okay? You know I'd do anything to keep you safe."

"I know," he murmured, leaning his head against his father's shoulder and sniffling again. He paused, before saying in a quiet voice, "Thanks Dad."

Burt passed a hand over his son's hair gently, "You don't need to thank me Kurt. I'm your Dad, I love you, it's my job."

Kurt nodded his head and took a deep breath, "I love you too Dad."

Burt smiled softly and nodded, before standing up and telling his son, "Goodnight Kurt."

"Goodnight Dad."

* * *

><p>"I promise this time it'll be better," Finn told his girlfriend in a soft voice as they sat at a standard table at Breadstix. It wasn't beautifully set up like he'd done before, but he knew deep down that that was a good thing. It wasn't about how sweet or romantic he could make things look or seem; it was about being good to her. Like Kurt had first advised him, it was about the little things.<p>

There were different ways to show you loved someone.

"I know," she said softly as she slid her hand underneath his, "You've changed Finn, but this time in a good way."

He let out a breathy sigh of relief and smiled, "I've been trying."

A waitress came by to take their order and Rachel found herself somewhat taken aback when Finn ordered a vegetarian dish. She waited a moment for the waitress to walk away before looking at him with a look of disbelief, "Since when are you vegetarian?"

"I'm not," he laughed softly. "I mean don't expect it all the time, but I thought I'd do you a favor today and not make you watch me eat something that used to have a face, since you're all vegan and stuff."

She smiled wryly, "Well thank you. That's sweet."

"I just- really want to prove to you how much I love you," he told her in a quiet voice. "I just really need to make up for the way I was last time we were here. I was awful."

She nodded, "You kind of were, but I forgive you. If you weren't sorry for it, I wouldn't, but you are and that's what matters to me, okay?"

"Okay," he said softly, squeezing her hand.

The look on her face changed suddenly and she frowned, before whispering, "Don't look now, but Azimio Adams is coming over to our table."

Finn turned his head automatically and spotted the larger boy heading towards them. His body tensed on instinct as Azimio approached their table, looking somewhat awkward and holding a light green coloured piece of paper in his hands.

Finn couldn't help but remember one of the last times he saw the boy and asked immediately, "What do you want Azimio? I'm on a date."

"I know, I just-" Azimio stopped for a moment and Finn frowned at the oddly awkwardness in the other boy's voice, "I figured Kurt wouldn't appreciate it if I approached him so I thought you could pass along a message."

Finn raised an eyebrow and his jaw tightened, "What kind of message?"

"Well," he paused for a moment and handed Finn the piece of paper. It was some kind of flyer, "This girl I know told me about a Denim Day Rally and that they need entertainment. I thought your club could do a song or two and that- I don't know, Kurt might like to check it out. It's for people who've- well you know- been through what he has and to um raise awareness or whatever. That way- that way he could know he's not alone, you know?"

Finn stared at the flyer and then moved his eyes back to Azimio, "Why do you care if Kurt knows he's not alone?"

Azimio bit his lip softly, before answering in a way that proved how difficult this was for him, "I feel like I should have noticed what Dave was up to. I just want to be different and- well I know that no one deserves that. And- there's this girl and I want to be someone she wouldn't be ashamed to be with. I need- I need to prove I'm worthwhile for her to see as someone more than just a friend or a project, if you know what I mean." He paused, "I want to be better, I guess."

Both Rachel and Finn looked taken aback by the heartfelt speech and Rachel gave Azimio and gentle smile, "Thank you Azimio, we'll pass the message along."

He nodded awkwardly, before turning on his foot and walking away.

Finn looked at his girlfriend and folded the piece of paper and tucked it into his pocket before saying, "I was not expecting that."

She nodded in agreement, "Neither did I, but it's good that he's changing." She paused, "If someone like him can learn to be acceptant and tolerant, than hopefully the rest of the world can too."

He smiled and squeezed her hand again, "I hope so." He waited a moment as their food arrived before saying somewhat playfully, "So, this is a date right?"

She just laughed at him and shook her head, "Of course it is."

A grin grew over his face and he leaned across the table to meet her in a short, chaste kiss.

* * *

><p>Finn found his brother laying on his back in the backyard with his boyfriend staring at the clouds when he returned from his date with Rachel in tow. He grinned at the sight, before asking, "Hey, mind if we join you?"<p>

Both boys propped themselves up on their elbows and looked over at them, before Blaine spoke, "I don't; Kurt?"

"Me neither," Kurt dropped back down, looking up at the sky.

Finn settled down onto his back and stared up at the sky. He smiled lightly when he felt Rachel lie down next to him and the movement of her smoothing out her dress. "So what are you guys doing?"

"Picking out shapes in the clouds," Blaine answered with a small smile. "I talked him into it. He thought it was silly."

"Yeah- yeah," Kurt said in a jokingly exasperated tone, teasing the other boy slightly. "You were right, it's relaxing, now would you stop bragging?"

Blaine just laughed softly and aimed a playful comment at Finn and Rachel, "He doesn't like not being right."

"That's for sure," Finn agreed, which earned him an elbow in the side from his brother. "So what's up there, anyways?"

"Well I found Mickey Mouse over there," Blaine pointed almost directly in front of him. He moved his finger over to the left slightly, "but Kurt found a dragon, which is infinitely cooler."

"Agreed," Finn added, spotting it.

"I see a foot," Rachel said after a moment, "Next to Mickey Mouse."

"The dragon's still cooler," Kurt told her in a superior sounding voice, even though it was obvious he was joking.

"Whatever," she retorted with a laugh, "I happen to like feet."

Finn immediately grinned mischeviously, "Oh really?"

"Oh gross!" She laughed and shook her head. "Shut up Finn."

Finn let out a chuckle, before growing a bit more serious. He hated to ruin the lighthearted mood, but he figured the sooner he brought it up to his brother the better. His hand slipped into his pocket and pulled out the flyer Azimio had given him. "Hey Kurt, someone gave me this for you." He passed the folded piece of paper over to his step-brother.

Kurt carefully unfolded the paper and sat up in the grass to read it, before frowning, "Denim Day?"

"It's a rally for sexual abuse victims and their supporters. Everyone wears jeans and protests victim blaming-," Rachel explained, but Kurt cut her off quickly.

"I know what it is," he paused after he snapped at her, and whispered, "Sorry." He paused again shortly, "I actually got an invitation on Facebook, but I- uh- I don't know."

"It's okay," she murmured, sitting up as well. Soon the four of the were sitting in an oddly formed circle. "They're looking for entertainment. Finn and I are going to try to get New Directions to volunteer, but you might want to think about doing a duet with Blaine or something- since it would be more personal for you. Or even, you know, tell your story."

Kurt looked at the flyer, his stomach churning uncomfortably, before saying, "People stare at me enough already."

"Well you could just do the duet," Finn suggested in a soft voice. "That way you don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to. You can just be volunteers like the rest of us."

Kurt looked over at his boyfriend and asked him in a quiet voice, "What do you think?"

"I think it's a good idea," Blaine said in a quiet voice, his hand slipping into Kurt's. "I'd like to do it, the duet anyways. I love singing with you and it would be a good way to get out some of those emotions without actually having to talk about it."

"Okay," Kurt nodded, looking at the email address on the flyer that people could contact in order to volunteer. "Let's do it." He paused for a moment and frowned at his brother, "Who did you say gave this to you again?"

"I didn't," Finn told him before saying quietly, "Actually it was Azimio. He said you might not want to see him and gave it to me instead."

Kurt grimaced quietly, "He can't leave it be, can he?"

"He's trying to help," Rachel spoke in a gentle tone, giving Kurt a soft half-smile, "He feels guilty for not seeing it, for not seeing what his best friend was planning."

Kurt swallowed thickly, "Everyone seems to feel guilty but Karofsky; funny isn't it?"

Blaine wrapped an arm around his boyfriend as drew him close as Rachel replied in a quiet voice, "Funny's not exactly the word I'd use."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Nothing about this was funny," Kurt agreed, before saying in a falsely cheery voice, "I don't know about you, but I think I want to check out the clouds again. That conversation's a lot more fun than this one."

He lay back down on his back and pointed to the sky, "That one looks kind of looks like a guitar, don't you think?"

"Kurt-"

"Do you see the guitar? It's right there," he pointed again as he pointedly cut off his step-brother's words. "My mom used to play guitar, and we'd sing these silly made up songs together. I really miss that, you know? I used to miss what it was like then, singing those songs. She always used to say that someday someone would come along and would sing me songs, but they wouldn't be silly; that they'd be love songs. Those songs we sang though, they were love songs because- because she sang them to me because she loved me." He swallowed thickly, "If I ever felt scared, or had a nightmare she'd sing to me and I'd feel safe. I miss that. I miss how something so simple could make me feel so warm and happy."

"Kurt?" This time Blaine was asking the question, "Are you alright?"

"Blaine," Kurt whispered, propping himself up on his elbows and looking at his boyfriend carefully, "Do you think you could sing me something?"

"I- oh course, come here," he gathered Kurt into his arms and crooned softly into his ear.

_I've been alone_

_Surrounded by darkness_

_I've seen how heartless _

_The world- can be_

_I've seen you crying_

_You felt it's hopeless_

_I'll always do my best_

_To make you see_

_Baby you're not alone_

'_cause you're here with me_

_and nothing's ever gonna bring us down_

'_cause nothing _

_Can keep my from loving you_

_And you know it's true_

_It doesn't matter what'll come to be_

_Our love is all we need _

_to make it through_

_Now I know it ain't easy_

_But it ain't hard trying_

_Every time I see you smiling_

_And I feel you so close to me_

_And you tell me_

_Baby you're not alone_

_Cause you're here with me_

_And nothing's ever gonna bring us down_

_Cause nothing can keep me from loving you_

_And you know it's true_

_It doesn't matter what'll come to be_

_Our love is all we need_

_To make it through_

_I still have trouble_

_I trip and stumble_

_Trying to make sense of things sometimes_

_I look for reasons_

_But I don't need 'em_

_All I need is to look in your eyes_

_And I realize_

_Baby I'm not alone_

_Because you're here with me_

_And nothing's ever gonna take us down_

'_cause nothing can keep me loving you_

_And you know it's true_

_It don't matter what'll come to be_

_Our love is all we need to make through_

_Oh cause you're here with me_

_And nothing's ever gonna bring us down_

_Cause nothing, nothing, nothing can keep me from loving you_

_And you know it's true_

_It don't matter what'll come to be_

_You know our love is all we need_

_Our love is all we need_

_To make it through_

"I don't know that one," Kurt murmured after a moment, his eyes watery.

"That's because I wrote it for you," Blaine answered him with a soft smile. "Your mom was right about the love songs, because I don't know if I'll ever be able to stop writing them about you."

"Did you mean it?" Kurt asked suddenly, peering into Blaine's eyes carefully.

"Mean what?"

"That nothing will keep you from loving me," Kurt whispered as the whole world seemed to fall away. He was barely even aware that Finn and Rachel were watching he whole tender exchange. "Please tell me you meant it."

Blaine looked at his boyfriend, a tender smile gracing his face softly as he pulled Kurt's body gently closer to his own and whispered softly, "Of course I meant it. Nothing will ever change the way I feel about you Kurt; nothing."

Kurt smiled at him and rested his head on Blaine's shoulder, "Same here. I couldn't ask for better than you."

Blaine dropped his head on top of Kurt's and let out a small sigh of contentment; actually feeling his first mote of true happiness in months, "I love you Kurt, don't ever doubt it."

"I love you too," Kurt whispered back; that same contentment taking up a small amount of space in his body, pushing out just a little of the pain that had taken up its residence there. It was just a little, but it was a start.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Please drop a review! I love them.

By the way the Denim Day Rally is named so because in 1999 in Italy the conviction of a rapist was overturned because the victim was wearing tight jeans and apparently "she would have had to help him remove them and therefore it was 'consensual'". Women in Italy then protested in jeans against victim blaming in sexual abuse and the rally grew from there.


	18. Chapter 18: My Choice is You

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**A/N**: So this chapter has a very light, non-graphic, smut (but not really) type scene. I'm not really big on writing smut, but I felt (and so did a reader or two) that it was something that would be important in discovering Kurt's recovery process. Also I added Sebastian in in a very AU kind of way (as in Blaine doesn't meet him at Dalton) mainly because I love to hate the guy. However he's only in one scene (and he may or may not get owned) so don't worry!

I just found out one of my friends adopted a cat named Puck. This amused me. I feel like if my cat's name was Quinn we should have bred them, but they're both fixed (yay for responsible pet ownership) and my cat's name is Patches because my brother wouldn't let me change her name when he gave her to me. I was going to name her Laney anyways, short or Miscellaneous, because I'm cool like that. Anyways I'll stop boring you with randomness now and get on with the story.

Okay one more bit of randomness… does anyone else here want to tell Blaine to put some damn socks on? (I was shocked to see he was wearing some in the dodge-ball scene in the last episode.)

**Warning**: Mentions of non-con. There's also the light smut (but not really) scene that I mentioned. Oh yeah… there's a few f-bombs in this chapter.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 18<span>– My Choice is You

"Alright everybody thanks for coming," Rachel announced to the collective members of the glee club that were now sitting around Finn and Kurt's family room. It was a bit cramped and a few people had been forced to sit cross legged on the floor, but it had been agreed that it would be easier to meet at the Hummel-Hudson house since four members had already been there.

"Get to the point Berry," Santana snapped irritably, sitting cross legged on the floor next to Brittany and Quinn wondering how she'd ended up on the floor when she could have easily intimidated some of the others members into letting her onto the couch.

Of course Kurt and Blaine were sitting on the couch and she didn't have the heart to try to kick them off it. She'd never admit it, but she had a soft spot for the couple.

Mercedes was sitting between Sam and Kurt and had her hand stealthily tucked into Sam's and pretending that nobody had noticed.

The others were scattered around the floor. Mike was sitting on a wooden chair with Tina perched on his lap and his arms about her waist gently. Artie's wheelchair was situated next to them.

Puck was standing beside Burt's armchair, which was occupied by Lauren, looking a little bored and asked Rachel with a raised eyebrow, "What's this about anyway? If you haven't noticed it's summer vacation."

"I know it's summer Noah," she muttered with a shake of her head and looked at Finn, before looking back at the group, "Look we called you here because we wanted to see if anyone wanted to volunteer to perform at the Denim Day Rally next week. They still have some openings for entertainment that need to be filled and I thought we could all go sing in support of Kurt, and Blaine too. I thought it was something we could do as a club, and as friends."

"I don't know what made you think we're friends Man-"

"Oh give it up Santana," Quinn rolled her eyes, "No one's falling for your tough act anymore. It's us, we know the real you."

Santana pursed her lips together with a scowl. It was always worse when the person telling you off had a valid point.

"Anyways," Rachel began again, "What do you guys think? Do you want to perform there and raise awareness?" She paused for a moment, "Shall we have a raise of hands?"

Every single member of the club raised their hand, Brittany even raised two and a feeling of warmth managed to wrap itself around Kurt as he saw the support that his friends were so willing to give.

"Awesome!" Rachel gave a clap of her hands, "So it's settled. Song suggestions anyone? I personally was thinking of doing-"

"And here she goes again," Santana muttered loud enough for the rest of them to hear and a chorus of chuckles could be heard.

Rachel blushed and closed her mouth, "Sorry. How about everyone gives a suggestion and we vote on the best one?"

Finn wrapped an arm around her and gave her a squeeze, "I think that's great idea."

* * *

><p>The ringing of his cell phone jerked Kurt awake suddenly and he blinked as much tiredness out of his eyes that he could manage, before wrapping his fingers around his phone and pressing Accept. He pressed it to his ear and murmured a sleepy, "Hello?"<p>

"Hey Fairy," the voice was tinny over the phone, but he recognized it immediately by the way it made his hair stand on end and his body stiffen uncontrollably. "Miss me?"

His fingers clenched around the phone as he tried to fashion an answer.

"You there Faggot?" The voice asked again, "Don't tell me you can't handle a little phone call."

"Don't call me that," Kurt whispered softly, before hanging up the call. The phone immediately began to ring again and he ignored the call. It rang again. He picked up, "Stop calling me."

"You're going to talk to me Fancy," Karofsky told him in a dark voice. "I won't stop calling you until you do. You can change your number, but I'll just find it again. It's amazing the kinds of connections you can make in prison."

"What do you want from me that you haven't already taken?" Kurt whispered, resting his head against his pillow as his eyes reddened.

"I didn't take anything. I just gave you what you deserved," Karofsky growled at him darkly. "I just gave you what you wanted-"

"I didn't want it!" Kurt snapped into the phone, a tear sneaking past his cheek. "I didn't deserve it. It wasn't fair what you did to me, you asshole. When are you going to realize that I'm a human being too, that I deserve every right that any straight person does. You're gay too; you bastard, does that mean anyone should have the right to rape you if they have the opportunity?"

"There's a difference between me and you," Karofsky snapped in a dangerous voice, "I'm not a weak little fairy who can't defend himself. You let it happen, Faggot. You deserved it. You made me like this!"

"I didn't make you into anything!" Kurt yelled back into the phone, more tears sneaking past him. "You had a choice David. You always had a choice. You could have left me alone and just lived your life. You could have come out in college or stayed in the closet all your life, whatever. You had a choice to be a better person. You had a choice but instead you chose to take away mine! That's not on me! That's you, you asshole; that's your fault, not mine."

"It's your fault-"

"No it's not!" Kurt shouted; his fingers had tightened so much around his phone that they'd turned white. "You can try and try to make me feel like it is but I know it's not. You know why? I have people who love me and that's something you threw away. That's something you'll never have again; not for real. You're pathetic, you know that? You're fucking pathetic if you have to call me and try to make me feel worthless just so you can feel good about yourself. Well guess what; no more. Fuck you Karofsky. I'm better than you, you fucking waste of space." He paused for effect before enunciating clearly, "Fuck you."

He hung up the phone without waiting for an answer and felt almost pleased with himself when the phone didn't ring again.

He gave a start when he saw a shadow in his doorway; the doorway that still needed to be repaired after Finn had kicked it in. "H-hello?"

"It's just me, Kiddo," he heard his father's voice before the light clicked on and illuminated his father's pajama clad form. "I heard yelling; are you okay?"

Kurt sat up and wiped his face, before nodding slightly. "I think so."

Burt padded over and sat on the edge of the bed next to his son, "I heard what you said."

Kurt frowned slightly, "Sorry."

"For what?" Burt asked, his eyebrows furrowing. A small smile of realization found his face, "I'll admit I didn't like hearing my son swearing, but considering who you were swearing at, I'll forgive you. Actually son, I'm really proud of you. I wish you would have just hung up, but you handled it pretty well."

"I think I needed to say it," Kurt whispered in a soft voice, leaning into his father when Burt wrapped a gentle, warm around him.

Burt looked at his son for a quiet moment, "You're right, you know that Kurt. You're better than him. You're stronger than him."

"He said I deserved it because I was weak," Kurt murmured after a short moment of pause.

"He's wrong," Burt told him in a firm voice. "It takes a strong man to stand up to someone who hurt him like that kid hurt you. It takes a strong man to be himself and to do what's right, even if it's hard. It's the weak man who cowardly hurts someone because he can't be himself."

"I know," Kurt said after a deep breath. "He wanted to make me feel worthless, pathetic and weak, but I'm not those things; he is."

Burt smiled softly at his son and hugged him gently, "Exactly." He paused for a soft moment, asking in concern, "Are you going to be alright now?"

Kurt nodded his head softly, "Yeah, I'm really tired actually. I think- I think I could go back to sleep if I tried."

"Do me a favor then and turn off your phone," Burt told him quietly. "We'll report the incident to the prison tomorrow morning." He hugged his son again tightly, before standing as Kurt laid back down in his bed.

He padded out of the room and stood carefully just out of sight for several minutes before he could hear Kurt's breathing softly even out in sleep. His heart was clenching in his chest. On one hand his son was so hurt from the events that had transpired, and that broke his heart. On the other hand he'd seen real growth and strength in his boy and that filled him with a sense of pride.

What hadn't destroyed his son had truly made him stronger. He just wished that the cost hadn't been so great.

* * *

><p>Blaine let out a soft yawn as he picked up the two coffees the barista placed in front of him. At the same moment a hand reached over for one. "Sorry," Blaine mumbled when he realized one of the coffees had the name Sebastian written on the side.<p>

The other boy grinned, "Don't be."

Blaine grabbed the mocha that was set in front of him and gave Sebastian a small smile, "thanks." He turned as if to leave.

"Hey where are you going so fast? You didn't even introduce yourself. Sit down with me for a minute. It's the least you can do after almost stealing my coffee," the other boy gave him a smooth grin.

Blaine gave a flustered smile and nodded his head, "Okay but just for a minute. I'm Blaine."

"Sebastian," he grinned and motioned to a table before sitting down with his hand still curled around his coffee cup. "So Blaine, you live around here?"

Blaine nodded his head, "Yeah, not too far. I live with my aunt in Lima."

Sebastian's smile faltered somewhat, "Oh, what about your parents?"

"They're not too fond of the fact that I'm gay," Blaine tried to shrug it off, but his face still grimaced slightly.

"That's too bad," Sebastian spoke in a sympathetic tone, "Mine couldn't care less. I mean I get shipped around a lot but I don't really care. I've been able to see some really interesting places- and some really interesting people." At the last few words Sebastian leveled Blaine with a suggestive gaze.

"Oh," Blaine shifted uncomfortably at the look. "Um- I'm sorry Sebastian but I should probably get going-"

"You don't have to leave so soon," Sebastian reached over and patted his wrist, "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but I'd really like to get to know you."

"It's okay, but I do really have to go-"

"Come on, stay, please?" Sebastian asked softly, flashing Blaine a winning smile, "Just for another minute. I'm new to the area and I don't know anyone yet."

"Oh, will you be joining William McKinley High School?" Blaine asked, almost hopeful. Maybe with a few more out kids at McKinley acceptance would blossom naturally.

Sebastian let out a shudder, "No, no thanks. Not after what I heard happened over there. I'm not going to let something like that happen to me-"

"Someone just doesn't let it happen," Blaine snapped suddenly. "I don't know if you've looked it up, but the very definition of rape means it's _forced_."

"Woah," Sebastian put his hands up in defense, "I'm sorry." He paused, a frown settling over his face, before he asked, "Do you go to McKinley?"

Blaine's face tightened, "Yeah, I do."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sebastian said again, this time more softly. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to imply- fuck. I never meant to say that you let it happen- I-"

Blaine grimaced, at least this time he wasn't the one who was flustered, "I wasn't-" he paused, "It wasn't me."

"Oh," a breath of relief left the other boy, "Good. I'm glad to hear that." He paused for a moment, "I thought the kid was the only out guy at the school?"

"I transferred after it happened," Blaine told him in a quiet voice, "before the news broke and the guy was arrested."

"Oh, must have been scary when you found out," Sebastian let out an overdramatic shudder, "Creepy."

"Oh I already knew," Blaine clutched his coffee, "It's actually why I transferred."

"What? You're crazy-" Sebastian paused then shook his head and smiled, "I guess it was a friend of yours then. That's very sweet." He let a beat pass, "I like sweet guys."

"I have a boyfriend," Blaine interjected in a soft voice, "Sorry."

Sebastian looked at him, an undeterminable look on his face, "So that's why you transferred?"

Blaine nodded.

"Well, he doesn't have to know," Sebastian told him with a small grin. "After all, after that he's probably not going to be giving you any for a while. Hanging out with me will ensure you never feel the need to go farther than he's ready for."

Blaine's face tightened, "I'd never do that anyways."

"I never said you would. This would just- make sure," Sebastian smiled again, his fingers tapping on the paper cut easily. "Plus you'd be satisfied. I'd make sure of it."

"I love my boyfriend-"

"I never said you didn't."

"Look Sebastian, I appreciate the offer, but it's not going to happen," Blaine stood up, "I should go before Kurt's coffee gets cold. Maybe we can be friends?"

"Fine, but let me know if you ever change your mind," Sebastian shrugged, still giving off his smug, slightly arrogant smile, "You know… if you ever want someone who's a little less..." he trailed off and shrugged again.

Blaine stopped, his face burning, not with embarrassment but with barely contained anger, "A little less what Sebastian?"

"Well, you know," Sebastian said pointedly.

"No I don't think I do," Blaine growled tightly.

Sebastian let out a sigh, "Fine make me say it. If you ever want someone a little less damaged I'll be around."

Blaine set the coffees down on the table and took a step towards Sebastian. He leaned forward until their faces were only inches away from each other and Sebastian wasn't sure if the other boy was about to accept his proposal or punch him in the face. "Fuck you."

Well that cleared things up.

"If he's damaged than I am too," Blaine added, still whispering in a low, dark voice, "Did you even hear the whole story; about how there were other charges? Now who do you think that was?" He leaned back and shook his head, his stomach tight with anger and discomfort at the information he'd just shared, "Are you sure you still want to hit on me; you know since apparently I'm _damaged_?" Blaine shook his head again, his eyes narrowing as he hissed, "I'm not damaged and neither is he, asshole."

Once again the usually smug sounded boy was tripping over his words in a flustered manner, "I- uh- I didn't mean it like that."

"Then exactly how did you mean it?" Blaine asked with his voice still dark and angry.

"I just wanted to let you know there are options out there," some of the smoothness slipped into the other boy's voice again, but it still had a somewhat faltering quality to it.

"Well thank you but I already knew that. My choice is Kurt and it always will be," Blaine grabbed the coffee. "I don't know if you knew this, but there are more important things out there than sex, like love, and intimacy." He turned on his heel before looking over his shoulder to speak tightly, "Now if you'll excuse me I have to go. My boyfriend is waiting for me." With that said he walked away with both coffees in hand suddenly glad that Sebastian had mentioned he wouldn't be at McKinley in the fall.

If he was lucky he'd never see him again.

* * *

><p>Kurt opened his front door, smiling when he found Blaine there standing with two cups of coffee in his hand. The smile faded slightly when he saw that Blaine was shaking slightly, "Blaine?" Kurt asked, accepting the coffee Blaine placed in his hand and used the other to settle softly on his upper arm, "What's wrong?"<p>

"Nothing," Blaine shook his head, stepping into the house and following his boyfriend into the kitchen. He sat at the kitchen table and Kurt sank into the chair next to him. "I'm just angry, that's all."

Kurt slipped a hand over Blaine's and let it rest there, before asking softly, "What happened?"

"I went to the Lima Bean-"

"Obviously," Kurt smiled softly and took a sip of his Mocha. "Sorry, continue."

"There was this guy there," Blaine let out an angry sigh. "He insisted I talk to him and he was just- very ignorant."

"I'm sorry," Kurt patted his hand softly. "Did he try to convince you that you were committing an immortal sin or something, or was he was just rude and called you names?" His eyes ran over Blaine carefully, "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Blaine just shook his head, "No, nothing like that. If anything I think he was hitting on me." His lips tightened and pressed together, "He was ignorant about you- about what you went through. He wanted me to know I had options. I told him I already knew that."

"Oh-" Kurt's hand slipped off his.

"I said I chose you," Blaine reached to grip Kurt's hand. "My choice is you Kurt, and it always will be. I would never do anything to hurt you. I love _you_Kurt. I'm just mad that- that that guy had the nerve to say things like that." He shook his head then smiled lightly, "I pretty much told him to fuck off."

Kurt smiled softly and let out a small laugh, "You're so bad." He paused for a few moments, before saying in a quiet voice, "but I can't judge; I told someone to fuck off too, last night."

Blaine's triangular eyebrows furrowed, "Who? Not Finn?"

Kurt shook his head, "No, Karofsky. He called me last night." He swallowed thickly, "I guess it's not enough to rape me but he's got to torment me too."

"Kurt," Blaine let out the word in a breath, setting his coffee on the table and wrapping his arms around the other boy, "I'm sorry." His arms shook around Kurt slightly, "God I just- I wish he'd just fucking disappear and- and let you be happy. God I want so much for you to be happy."

"I know," Kurt murmured, letting his arms wrap around Blaine too and hug him softly. He pulled back after a minute, and they clasped their hands together again.

"How did he manage to call you?" Blaine asked in a soft voice, "That is- if you want to talk about it."

"It's okay," Kurt told him with a weak smile, "and who knows, except him really. My dad's already called the prison warden and the police, so hopefully it won't happen again." He paused and managed to make his smile a little brighter, "I really told him off though."

"Oh yeah?" Blaine asked, squeezing his hand gently.

"Oh yeah," Kurt repeated softly. "I basically told him he was worthless and pathetic and that I have something he'll never have."

"What's that?"

"Someone who truly loves me," Kurt whispered, still smiling slightly. He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Blaine's mouth.

Blaine reciprocated the kiss, deepening it tentatively at first, but at Kurt's gentle allowance he inserted more passion into it, allowing their tongues to dance together lightly.

"I think I just lost my appetite," a voice interrupted them and they broke apart suddenly to find Finn in the doorway of the kitchen looking a little bit pale. "Seriously, can't you do that in private or something? That's my brother you're making out with."

Kurt stood up from the kitchen table and pulled Blaine up with him, "Fine, then that's exactly what we'll do." He looked at Blaine, an almost tentative look on his face, "Do you want to go to my room?"

Blaine licked his lips nervously, "I don't know about that Kurt," he murmured softly.

Kurt's eyes flickered to Finn and he lowered his voice to a mere whisper, "Not for that- just to- um continue that kiss as much or as little as we're ready for." His thumb rubbed over the back of Blaine's hand, "We don't have to if you don't want to."

"I want to," Blaine paused, looking for the right words, "I just want to make sure it's for the right reasons."

"Is loving you the right reason?" Kurt asked in a soft voice.

Blaine's hand tightened around Kurt and a smile found his face, "That's the best reason." He stepped forward, now leading the quick walk from the kitchen and towards the stairs.

They left Finn staring after them as they jogged up the stairs.

Kurt pushed open the door easily and commented softly, "We can't exactly close the door yet, but my parents are at work- and Finn knows now not to come up here." He sat down on the bed, "Lie down with me."

Blaine lay down next to his boyfriend and pressed a kiss to his lips. Kurt's lips parted softly and he accepted the invitation, beginning the dance they'd started earlier.

His body shifted over Kurt's only slightly using the vantage point to add a searing pressure to the kiss. He paused for a second, making sure his weight wasn't making Kurt uncomfortable at all, but Kurt's hands wrapped around the back of his head and pulled him closer.

His hands ghosted downward almost of their own accord, but he found his control stopping them at Kurt's waist as his fingertips teased the other boy's ribs.

Kurt's lips broke from his for a moment, "It's okay Blaine. It's okay, if you want to." He paused and swallowed, "and even if you don't- I-" he brought in a deep breath, "I wouldn't mind doing it for you anyways." He kissed Blaine softly, "I love you Blaine and I know if I need to stop, or if I need you to stop that it won't be a problem." He paused, a little breathless, "You know that if you need to I'd do the same."

"You are so perfect," was Blaine's murmured answer and he let his hand slip downward into the waistband of Kurt's slacks. He stroked softly and Kurt's breathing hitched.

"B-Blaine," Kurt's voice shook, "I'm sorry. I was wrong- I- I need-"

Kurt didn't even need to finish. Blaine withdrew his hand, "It's okay baby. It's hard to know when it's right. We can try again some other time, when you're ready."

Kurt smiled weakly, raising his head up to kiss his boyfriend tenderly, "I still want-" he waited a beat, gathering his nerve, "I still want to touch you, if that's okay?"

"Only if you're ready," Blaine told him in a soft voice, rolling over so Kurt's weight was pressed lightly on him now.

Kurt nodded his head and smiled shyly, "I think I'm okay as long as I'm the one- um- doing the- uh touching."

"I can deal with that," Blaine whispered, a gentle anticipation gathering heat in his belly as Kurt's hand dipped downward. He let out a soft gasp and buried his face into Kurt's neck.

"You okay?" Kurt asked suddenly, sounding worried.

"Uh huh," he nodded his head against Kurt's neck, the heat flickering in his body like gentle flames. "Please- whatever you do- don't stop."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: I hope you guys don't mind, but I felt that Kurt would be okay going this far as long as he was the one in control of what was going on. Also I feel like Kurt's midnight conversation with Karofsky gave him some of his inner strength back now that he finally got to stand up for himself, albeit in a small kind of way. As for Blaine I think now that he's actually admitted how much what happened to him hurt and is accepting help that he's doing better.

Also after watching "The First Time" (oh my flustered Blaine is adorable) I discovered that I love to hate Sebastian so I had to give him a cameo, plus I had fun having Blaine get pissed at him.

Please drop me a review; you know how I love 'em.


	19. Chapter 19: The World is Ours

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning**: Can you believe there's no swearing? There are some mentions of non-con and also mentions of consensual sexual acts between two boys (although nothing graphic).

**A/N**: Okay so I'm thinking there will actually be around 22 or 23 chapters in this story, but don't quote me on that. For all I know it will get extended again, because really I always end up going back and adding bits and pieces to what I've already planned. Also, there is a song in this chapter, and after this one there will be two more songs in this story and that's it. I like the idea of inserting songs since the show does involve a lot of music, but I also want the story to be mostly content and for the songs to bolster the story, rather than distract from it. That's why I am very careful in my song choices. This chapter will feature Monster by Paramore. I think it really fits, plus they've been my favorite band for about six or seven years. Anyways I hope you enjoy the chapter. It's not my favorite and it was difficult to write, but I think it works.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 19<span> – The World is Ours

"Rachel, why didn't you mention earlier that this rally is in Cleveland?" Mercedes asked as she crossed a leg in her chair. Once again the group had converged, except this time at Rachel's house when she had called them about a little hiccup in their plan.

"I didn't look closely enough at the flyer," she admitted in a soft voice. She looked at them, "I've talked to my dads and they support our idea, but unfortunately they both have to work that weekend."

"I already asked my parents," Finn spoke up, trying to ease some of the tension. "My dad's going to have one of his guys run the shop and my mom's got the weekend off then, so they can each take four of us in separate cars."

Blaine looked over at them as his phone let out a buzzing noise, "My aunt can go too."

"Well then we just need one more parent, don't we?" Rachel asked brightly. "Four adults should be enough. At least there will be enough car room if four cars go."

"I should probably ask my dad," Artie told her with a bit of a sigh. "I don't think he's working and one of the vehicle's needs to be able to accommodate my chair." He shrugged his shoulders, "It just makes sense. Besides I think my dad will be okay with it considering why and what we're going for."

"Well then it's settled," Rachel's voice was bright again. "We should also practice our songs for the rally too. That's why I asked you here, instead of at Finn and Kurt's house. We should also figure out who's going to get what solos." She paused and the rest of the club restrained their groans, waiting for her to insist singing lead on each and every song. "I think Santana probably has the best voice for the Paramore song." There was a short silence while she licked her lips and addressed Santana directly, "And it could help you get some of those feelings off your chest."

"What feelings, Berry?" Santana growled at her challengingly.

"The guilt," Rachel told her simply, before adding; "Guilt that you shouldn't feel because it wasn't your fault."

"Look Rachel you don't know anything about me-"

"Santana we all feel guilty," Rachel cut her off; looking a little stunned that Santana had actually used her real first name. "You were fake dating him so it makes sense that you'd feel guilty too."

"Hey," Kurt cut in softly, "Can we not discuss this? No one should feel guilty; nobody but _him_." He shook his head quietly, "While I think we all know that will never happen, that doesn't mean any of you should feel guilty and I'm sick and tired of everyone tearing themselves down because of it." He blinked furiously a few times before letting out a sigh, "All of this is tiring; so can we just not argue? It would make things a whole lot easier." He managed to roll his eyes weakly and looked at Santana, "Why are you complaining anyway? Rachel Berry is trying to _give_ you a solo."

"Thanks Rachel," Santana said in a slow voice, clearly not liking how polite she was being to the other girl.

"Shall we give it a try then? Everyone's learned the words and everything right? We should give it a whirl," Rachel smiled again, in her element, bossing people around.

"Sure, whatever," Santana hopped up onto the stage and grabbed one of the overly bedazzled microphones. She scowled at the fake gems and rolled her eyes as the rest of the glee club piled onto the stage behind her.

Rachel plugged in her iPod to the speakers and let the background music start to pound out and Santana opened her mouth to sing.

_You were my conscience, so solid, now you're like water  
>And we started drowning, not like we'd sink any farther<br>But I let my heart go, it's somewhere down the bottom  
>But I'll get a new one and come back for the hope that you've stolen<em>

The group picked up behind her easily, inserting passionate voices into the words of the song._  
><em>

_I'll stop the whole world, I'll stop the whole world  
>From turning into a monster and eating us alive<br>Don't you ever wonder how we survive?  
>Well now that you're gone, the world is ours<br>_

Santana let her voice rise up again, a tear threatening her cheek as the words flowed from her mouth.

_I'm only human, I've got a skeleton in me  
>but I'm not the villain, despite what you're always preaching.<br>Call me a traitor, I'm just collecting your victims  
>And they're getting stronger<br>I hear them calling.  
><em>

She let her voice fade back, letting the group's voice become unison. Her voice was only rising very slightly louder than the others.

The threatening tear slipped down her face.

_I'll stop the whole world, I'll stop the whole world  
>From turning into a monster, and eating us alive<br>Don't you ever wonder how we survive?  
>Well now that your gone, the world is ours<em>

_Well you find your strength in solutions_  
><em>But I liked the tension<em>  
><em>And not always knowing the answers<em>  
><em>But you're gonna lose it, you're gonna lose it<em>

_I'll stop the whole world, I'll stop the whole world_  
><em>From turning into a monster, and eating us alive<em>  
><em>Don't you ever wonder how we survive?<em>  
><em>Well now that you're gone, the world...<em>

_I'll stop the whole world, I'll stop the whole world_  
><em>From turning into a monster, eating us alive<em>  
><em>Don't you ever wonder how we survive?<em>  
><em>Now that you're gone, the world is ours.<em>

Santana took a deep breath and looked scandalized when she realized her cheeks her wet. She scowled at the other members who hadn't said a single word about it and muttered, "What are you looking at?"

No one said anything instead Kurt just smiled weakly and shook his head. He placed a hand on her shoulder before pulling her into his arms softly. He patted her back awkwardly when her arms wrapped around him tightly, her fingers digging in just slightly into his back.

"I'm so sorry Kurt," she whispered in a voice so small that anyone who managed to hear it wouldn't have believed it had come from her lips. A singular sob broke from her throat, "I never thought anyone would get hurt."

"It's not your fault Santana," he told her in a firm voice, letting his head rest against her shoulder. "I know that if you could have done something, you would have, but you couldn't, so don't blame yourself okay?" He pulled back from the embrace and gave her a weak smile, "By the way you were fantastic just now. You're going to blow them all away at the rally." He crinkled his nose slightly and quoted the song softly, "Just remember Santana, now that he's gone, the world is ours. We just have to take it."

She frowned at him.

He first motioned to himself, her, Brittany and Blaine, "We're gay or bi and proud, or-" he motioned to the rest of the glee club, "just completely okay with others being gay. Maybe it hasn't happened yet, but at some point tolerance has to take over."

She took a breath and let out a grimacing smile, "I hope you're right about that Kurt." She stepped back and looked at the rest of the club and raised an eyebrow, "Kay we definitely needs some choreography to go with that, because you guys were just standing there like somebody insulted your mamas." She paused for a moment, "And if I'm going to sing I needs you guys to have some energy. Brits, you were great. Show them where it's at, kay?"

Brittany gave her girlfriend a bright smile, before looking a looking a little confused, "Tell them where what's at San?"

Santana cracked a smile, "Show them those moves of yours Britt. You're one of the best dancers here so these lumps need you to show them how to do it." She gave Mike a sidelong look, "He's not bad, so he can help you out."

"Gee thanks," Mike muttered under his breath, a small smile finding his face nonetheless.

* * *

><p>"I still don't understand why you're going through your entire wardrobe," Rachel piped up from her spot on her stomach on Kurt's bed. "All you have to do is wear jeans. That's the mandate."<p>

"I need to make a statement," Kurt told both the girls in his room. "If I'm going to perform at this thing then I need to be dressed for the occasion." He laid out a pair of black jeans over the back of his computer chair and frowned, "I can't find a shirt that feels right."

"Well you don't have to decide now, do you?" Mercedes asked, sitting on the edge of the bed next to Rachel. "The rally's still five days away."

"I just- I want to be ready," Kurt bit down on his lip as he surveyed the carefully hung shirts in his closet, trying to figure out which of them he should bring with him to Cleveland. He shook his head softly, "It's going to be hard enough to be there; to be reminded of why I'm there. I just- I need control over this one thing- you know?"

Rachel sat up and frowned. When Kurt looked over he noticed Mercedes was frowning at him too, chewing her lower lip as if she were about to say something but was thinking better of it. He watched her, waiting for her to speak.

There was a short pause of silence before Mercedes opened her mouth softly to speak carefully, "Kurt, what exactly do you think you're going to be reminded of? It's not something you can exactly forget, right?"

Kurt nodded shortly and swallowed, "Yeah."

Rachel stood up and smoothed out her dressed, before speaking purposefully, "Are you saying you're going to the rally because you were raped?"

Kurt gave her an incredulous look and answered quietly, "I thought that was obvious."

"Well that's entirely the wrong reason to go," she told him in a very matter-of-fact voice. She locked her eyes on his, "See I thought you were going to remind people that rape is wrong no matter who you are. This rally is about victim blaming Kurt, and how it's wrong. _I _thought you were going to raise awareness and show the world that just because someone is gay doesn't mean it's alright to abuse them."

"Rachel-"

"It's not just about you Kurt," she told him, her voice softer and gentler. "I know what you went through was awful, but I thought you were going to do this for people like you- to help stop it from happening again. Isn't that a better reason to do this?" She shook her head, "New Directions is going for you, but I think you should go for a bigger reason, don't you?"

"Rachel!" Mercedes raised her voice slightly with her lips pursed together, "Kurt has every right to go for himself. Do you have any idea what he went through?"

Rachel shook her head, "I couldn't."

"It`s okay Mercedes," Kurt spoke up in a soft voice. "I would never want either of you to ever even have an inkling of understanding." He smiled weakly, "I would never want anyone to have to hurt that way, which is what I think Rachel is trying to say. She's not trying to hurt me or make me feel bad, right Rachel?"

"That's the exact opposite of what I want," Rachel said in a whisper, reaching out to hug Kurt softly for a moment. "What I want- what I meant to say is I want Kurt to be able to take what happened to him and use it to help people. Of course I wish it had never happened in the first place, but none of us can turn back time. All we can do is use it to help change the future." She paused, "Mostly I want what happened to you to stop ruling your life."

"I want that too," Kurt murmured weakly. He offered up a smile, "Maybe speaking at the rally could help me do that; raise awareness and heal at the same time, or something."

"It's a chance to help stop the violence and make the world a better place," Rachel added softly, "and if anyone can do that, it's you."

Kurt swallowed thickly and looked from Mercedes to Rachel, "It's hard, but Rachel's right. It's not just about me anymore. There are so many other victims that could benefit from this rally. I don't know if it will actually make a difference, but I can try."

"You mean survivors," Rachel corrected him with a soft smile.

Mercedes smiled with her, adding, "Because that's what our boy Kurt is. You're a survivor boo. I can see it in your eyes. Something is changing."

Kurt nodded, and his face brightened, "I know exactly what to wear now." He hugged them both tightly for a brief moment, "I don't know what I'd do without my girls."

"Die probably," Mercedes grinned before she settled back down on the bed, "So what did you decide to wear in the first place?"

Kurt just shook his head, "That's a secret. You'll find out at the rally." He paused carefully before adding to his two best girl friends, "There is one secret I could let you in on." He looked down for a moment, "I- well," he paused and looked up at both of them, "This is for your ears only, okay? Will you promise me you'll never tell another soul what I'm about to tell you?"

"Of course!" Rachel's eyes lit up at being included in what was obviously an important secret.

"My lips are sealed," Mercedes told him easily.

"Okay, well," he licked his bottom lip nervously and added, "Blaine and I- we might have- um gone to another stage the other night." He looked down for a moment about to speak again, but Rachel cut him off.

"Should you really be talking about this?" Rachel asked in a soft voice, "Didn't you get angry with Blaine for almost the exact same thing not too long ago?"

"We talked about it," Kurt explained, looking a little guilty. "I feel bad for the way I reacted, but I told him I was sorry and that it's alright if he needs to talk about stuff like that sometimes, as long as he doesn't go to my dad or tell everyone."

"Oh okay then continue," Rachel murmured, patting Kurt's arm softly. "What happened?"

"We just, um progressed a little," he added quietly, attempting a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders and failing. "There was no pressure or anything. We just- we talked about it and he stopped when I needed him too. I think- I think things are getting better or at least starting to be."

"You didn't have sex, did you boo?" Mercedes asked carefully, sitting up a little straighter on the bed as she awaited his answer.

"No, that's- that's out of the question right now," he took a deep breath and gave them both a strained smile. "We both agreed on that." He looked at them both for a moment his smiling growing a little less strained a little more genuine, "We just kind of acquainted ourselves with each other a little more intimately."

"That's a big step Kurt," Mercedes told him, still looking concerned at what her best friend was telling her.

"We didn't do anything we weren't ready for," Kurt replied with a gentle smile, "and I don't regret it. I never will. I can't imagine anyone being better to me than Blaine is." A tear collected in his eye, but not for the usual reason as he added, "It was terribly awkward, but we chose to do it and we chose to do it together because we love each other- and- and I finally got to experience something different- something better."

* * *

><p>AN: I didn't have a lot of time to edit this (busy week: lots of homework and one of my best friends is having her photography featured at an art gallery so I'm helping her out too) so it may have a few more mistakes that usual. I hoped you enjoyed it nonetheless. Please leave a review, they're like candy to me!


	20. Chapter 20: The Lucky One

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning: **Mentions of non-con. There may also be a bit of swearing.

**A/N**: Wait; what's this; a Kurt/Warbler interaction? Yeah I felt bad for Blaine only getting Warbler interactions so there's a nice Kurt/Wes friendship scene in this chapter. I hope you like it.

Okay so remember how in the last chapter I said there would be 22 or 23 chapters but not to quote me on it? Yeah I was wrong. There's going to be at least 25 chapters, although the last chapter will be an epilogue. Sorry for the misinformation.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 20<span> – The Lucky One

_Kurt stepped up to the microphone and took a look over the sea of faces staring at him. Each strangely identical face was scowling at him. _

_His body trembled, unable to make out the features of the faces and he looked around the back of the stage he was standing on. He was almost completely alone. Only way in the back stood Blaine, waving his hand for Kurt to get on with the speech he'd prepared. _

_Kurt opened his mouth but no sound came out. _

_The features of the faces cleared and suddenly Kurt was facing down a sea of Karofsky clones. The sea surged forward, some of the trying to climb their way up onto the stage. He tried to move, to run, but his body wouldn't move. _

"_Blaine!" He screamed for his boyfriend, his voice shattering the air. "Blaine, help me!"_

_Blaine's face twisted with pain and anger. "Why? So you can let him rape me instead? Fuck you Kurt! I don't want you anymore." With that Blaine turned and ran._

_Still oddly paralyzed Kurt stood frozen as Karofsky and his clones managed to climb up onto the stage. One of them grabbed his wrist, another grabbed his neck and suddenly they were all pulling at him and pawing at him, dragging him apart until his body threatened to split at the seams. _

"_Blaine," he cried out again, underneath the mass of hands and faces. "Somebody, somebody please help me!"_

"_No one's going to help you," Karofsky told him sharply, it was the one holding his neck, his eyes burrowing into his, "Because they know Kurt. They know you want it. They'll know Kurt. They'll know."_

_Tears streamed down his face as he let out a strangled cry. Blaine wouldn't be coming back to save him, no one would. His body split from all the pressure pulling him to pieces._

Kurt shot up in bed, his eyes wide and body shaking. He wrapped his arms around himself, struggling to take in deep breaths. His cheeks were wet with tears and he squeezed his eyes shut to stop any new ones from falling from his eyes.

Carefully he reached a hand up and brushed the wetness from his face. He'd had nightmares before, but that was definitely a new one.

Sure Karofsky was usually a menacing figure in his nightmares, and Blaine was usually involved, but never before had Blaine left him in his dreams. Blaine was almost always at his side or standing in front of him protectively, or in some of the worse ones he would see Karofsky torturing his boyfriend in his sleep, but Blaine never ran from him; never betrayed him.

"It was just a dream," he whispered out loud to himself. "He wouldn't do that for real."

He thought about the crowd of Karofsky clones and shuddered. Just one was enough for the world, maybe even one too many. He licked his lips nervously, remembering what he had told him in his dream. What if the people at the rally didn't believe him because he was gay?

He shuddered slightly again, unable to think about it.

He considered for a moment going into his brother's room and waking him. He bit his lip. Knowing Finn the other boy would sleep on the floor again in case he had another nightmare and he didn't want to screw up Finn's back so soon after his ribs had healed. It was already bad enough Finn had days ago felt it necessary to exert himself by kicking down a door.

Instead he picked up his phone and dialed. When the sleepy voice picked up he asked in a plaintive tone, "Promise me you'll never abandon me."

"Kurt?" Blaine's voice asked sleepily. "Of course I promise; I'd never do that, you know that." There was a soft pause and the boy sounded a little more alert, "Did you have a nightmare or something? I could come over if you want."

"No, it's late," Kurt murmured softly, "but I did have a bad dream. I didn't want to wake Finn because he has this thing where if I have a nightmare he'll either sleep on the floor in my room, or make me sleep in his bed while he sleeps on the floor there. Is it okay that I called you instead?"

There was a small, soft sigh on the other end of the phone, "Of course it is Kurt. You can call me anytime, whenever you need me. What happened? What did you dream about?"

"The rally," Kurt said in a whisper. "You were there, and so was Karofsky. Actually… the entire crowd was Karofsky. It was just him and a million identical clones of him. You were on the stage with me in the back and they were coming for me and I-" his voice cracked with emotion, "I called for you, but you yelled at me and left. You didn't want me. You didn't help me."

"Hey," Blaine's voice sounded strained, "It was just a dream Kurt. I'd never do that to you in real life. I'd be right there standing in front of you. I'd do everything I could to protect you. I love you Kurt and I will always, always want you."

"He said I wanted it again; that everyone would know," Kurt murmured, chewing on his lips. "Blaine what if I go there and they don't believe me?"

"Kurt, listen to me," Blaine said in a firm voice, although it still sounded slightly strained. "That whole rally is for people who know what you've gone through. It's about protesting victim blaming and support. They're not about to blame you. They wouldn't be at the rally otherwise. They're going to be there for us."

"Us?" Kurt asked quietly.

"Yeah," Blaine answered in a soft voice, sounding a little pained, "Us. I was sexually abused too Kurt. Not as badly, but-"

"I didn't mean it like that," Kurt cut in quietly. "I was just surprised. I know you accepted it happened, but I've never heard you include yourself like that. You always used to correct yourself."

"I was trying to protect myself," Blaine explained, mumbling slightly. "It was stupid because I wasn't doing that at all. I was just making it worse." There was a slight pause, "Are you sure you don't want me to come over?"

"Well, if you want to," Kurt said in a careful voice, realizing that Blaine hadn't offered just for him, but for himself as well. He rose out of bed with the phone still pressed to his ear and found a piece of paper. He scribbled out a note and walked down the hall to tape it to his father's door.

"I kind of want to be near you right now," Blaine explained in a soft voice.

"I know what you mean," Kurt said in a soft voice. Having Blaine next to him would do a lot to ease the fear and uncertainty that nightmare had forced on him. "I'll see you in a few?"

"Yeah, just got to wake my aunt and let her know where I'm going," Blaine told him quietly. "I'll be there soon."

"Okay, see you," Kurt hung up the phone softly and padded down the stairs. He sat down on the couch to wait, curling his legs up and leaning against the arm. He let out a sleepy sigh, blinking his eyes and was surprised when the sound of knocking came almost instantaneously.

He rose up, realizing he'd fallen asleep momentarily and opened the door, immediately taking the shorter boy into his arms and hugging him tightly. "Hey."

"Hey," Blaine smiled at him softly. "You know, I'm not glad you had a nightmare, but I'm glad you called me. I couldn't sleep. I kept waking up."

Kurt tilted his head slightly in confusion as he took Blaine's hand and they walked quietly up the stairs towards his bedroom.

They both sat on the bed and Blaine opened his mouth to continue in a hushed voice, "I'm nervous too. It's not that far away and I'm just nervous, that's all." He took Kurt's hand carefully, "You're not alone Kurt. I'm scared too."

"Everything is going to be fine," Kurt whispered with a small smile, placing a kiss on Blaine's lips. He lay back on the bed tiredly and pulled Blaine gently with him, smiling as Blaine's head rested against his chest and the hair on top of his head tickled his chin. "We're together and we're going to be okay."

"Who are you trying to convince?" Blaine asked in a soft voice, his head turning to look up at him from its position nestled against Kurt's pajama covered chest; "You or me?"

"You believe in me, right?" Kurt asked, rather than answering his question. "You'll never abandon me if you can help it?"

"Of course," Blaine whispered, reaching his head up slightly so his lips brushed softly against Kurt's.

"And I believe in you," Kurt added, his voice still soft and reassuring, "and I'll never abandon you or say goodbye to you and that's why I know we're going to be okay."

"In time," Blaine finished with his voice breathy.

"Yeah, in time," Kurt agreed, his eyes starting to flutter sleepily.

"Still scared?" Blaine asked gently, one arm draped gently across Kurt's waist.

"Not nearly so much," Kurt murmured with a soft yawn. "I know you're going to be there with me and so are my parents, and Finn and all my friends. It helps."

Blaine nodded minutely and bit down on his lip as his arms curled to clutch Kurt. Running through his mind was the thoughts of all the people who would be there to support Kurt. They would support him too, but it was different. His aunt would be there, but he still ached.

He wanted _his_ parents to be there. He wanted _his_ friends to be there. Everyone in Lima was kind to him and he knew they genuinely cared, but it wasn't the same.

* * *

><p>Finn knocked softly on his brother's bedroom door and the door creaked inwardly slightly at the pressure. There was no noise coming from inside the room and he frowned.<p>

Kurt was almost always up before him. His brother was almost always up and showered by the time he rose from bed, even in the summer time. Ever since they'd been living together he thought it was kind of weird, but he'd learned to live with his brother's strange morning person persona.

Of course the last few months Kurt had been decidedly less cheerful in the mornings, although he was still up early… well except for today.

He frowned and carefully pushed the door in lightly. His eyes drifted to the bed and almost immediately the frown fell from his face. His brother was lying back on his bed in his pajamas and curled up beside him was his boyfriend. Blaine's head rested on Kurt's chest and both of them were sleeping peacefully.

Finn wasn't sure to smile or frown. It was obvious that one or both of them had suffered a nightmare. Despite how peaceful they looked together he could see how they were curled together, as if they'd fallen asleep clutching each other desperately.

Carefully he closed the door and padded down the stairs. He figured they could use the extra sleep.

The smell of eggs and bacon wafted through the air and he followed his nose towards the kitchen and plopped himself down at the table. His parents were both at the kitchen; one was hovering over a frying pan, the other over the skillet. "Kurt's gonna be pissed if you're making bacon."

"Finn," his mother scolded him warningly.

"Fine, Kurt's going to be upset," he corrected with a roll of his eyes, before adding, "And you know I'm right."

"Turkey bacon and turkey sausages," Burt let out with a growl, turning over some of the healthy alternative meats. "Your mother is making scrambled eggs."

"No yolks," Carole smiled softly at her husband, "A heart healthy breakfast Kurt can be proud of."

Finn made a face, "Can I have normal eggs in mine? "

"I'm making some separately for you honey," Carole told him with a small chuckle. "I know you too well." She moved from the fryer to give him an affectionate kiss on the cheek.

"Did you make enough?" Finn asked suddenly, feeling a little mischievous. "'Cause you know Kurt has a visitor."

"We're making enough that Blaine can have some too," Burt said dryly as he moved the sausages and bacon from the skillet and onto a plate covered with paper towel. "Your brother left me a note letting me know."

"And you're not mad?" Finn looked a little incredulous.

"I'm not pleased," Burt replied in the same dry tone, before it eased up softly, "but I assume there was probably a good reason for it." He frowned a little, "It's not like the door closes anymore anyways."

Finn flushed a little at the comment, but instead chose to divert the conversation slightly, muttering, "If Rachel came over in the middle of the night you'd kill me." He let out a little shake of his head, but he wasn't really upset about it. "Don't worry. I get it. They need each other."

"Who needs who?" Kurt asked, padding into the kitchen with Blaine at his heels. "Hey Dad, did you see my note?"

"Yes," Burt told his son, placing the plate of breakfast protein on the table. "Next time however I'd prefer if you woke me up and asked, rather than just leaving a note, okay?"

Kurt nodded apologetically, "Okay Dad."

"Sit down boys. You're not in trouble _this time_. Have some breakfast," Burt told them as Carole started divvying up the scrambled eggs onto several plates.

Blaine sank into a seat next to his boyfriend at the table and asked quietly, "Are you sure it's okay that I came?"

Burt looked at him for a long moment before asking the boy seriously, "That depends, Blaine. Why did you come over?"

"Kurt called me," Blaine explained in a soft voice. "He had a nightmare about the rally. I couldn't sleep anyways and I thought he needed me. I know- I know I needed him." He swallowed thickly as Carole placed a plate in front of him that had scrambled egg whites, toast and a few sausage links and slices of bacon piled on it. He chanced a glance at Carole and murmured a short, "Thank you."

"You're welcome dear," she smiled at him softly.

"Well Blaine," Burt let out a wry grin, "I think it's perfectly fine that you came by then; although I hope you let your aunt know where you were going."

"Oh of course," he nodded his head and picked up his fork, although he didn't start eating right away. "She was a little upset that I woke her at four in the morning, but she understood." He shrugged his shoulders, before adding, "I don't want to eat and run, but she did ask that I come home before noon."

"Don't worry about it," Carole cut in softly. A tone of humor found her voice, "If you weren't here Finn would just inhale it anyways. You're probably going to save him from a stomach ache later on today."

"Hey!" Finn made a face around a mouthful of sausage.

"Chew like you have a secret Finn," Kurt admonished his brother with a look of disgust, "No one wants to see your half chewed breakfast."

Finn opened his mouth, showing off the food just to spite his brother and was rewarded with a very light smack to the back of his head from his mother.

* * *

><p>Wesley Hughes was a little surprised when his phone started vibrating in his pocket at around one in the afternoon and the name <em>Kurt<em> came up on the caller ID. It seemed that lately Kurt had been giving the Warblers a little space.

He didn't really blame the former Warbler; he'd been dealing with enough lately.

He slid his finger across the screen and pressed the phone to his ear, "Hello, this is Wes."

"It's Kurt," Kurt's voice came through the phone slightly tinny, "Are you busy?"

"Not at the moment," Wes lied. In truth he'd been in the getting ready to go to his job at the local grocery store where he stocked shelves but a quick check of his watch told him he had enough time to have a conversation. If he hadn't he would have made time. "What's up? We haven't talked in a while."

"Yeah," Kurt's voice sounded a little apologetic. "I figured Blaine needed you guys more than I did. I mean- I have the New Directions, but Blaine's still new to the group." He paused for a short moment, "You guys he knows for sure he can trust."

"Oh," Wes said softly. He hadn't been expecting that reasoning for why Kurt hadn't spoken to him or David in a while. "Well you know I'm here for the both of you, David too."

"Of course," Kurt's voice came back through the voice, faltering slightly. "Speaking of that, I wanted to ask you something- well I wanted to ask all the Warblers something but I figured you could talk to them for me."

Wes frowned and sat down on his bed, his phone wedged between his shoulder and his ear as he reached down to pull on his socks. "What exactly did you want to ask us?"

"There's this rally in Cleveland in a few days," Kurt started quickly. "Well it's this weekend actually and well- it's one of those things that support victims of sexual abuse and protest blaming the victims and all that. All of New Directions are going, but I thought maybe some of the Warblers would like to go too; for Blaine."

"What about you?" Wes asked, frowning as he straightened up on his bed. "This may be a delicate topic, but shouldn't you be worrying about yourself a bit more? Your attack was a bit more severe from what Blaine told David and me."

There was a hesitant pause for the phone as Kurt formulated a careful sentence. "I already have plenty of support. My parents are going, all my friends are going. They're Blaine's friends too, I know, but they're not his best friends. You guys are. He needs you guys. I can tell Wes. I can see it. I know everyone thinks what happened to me was worse and okay it was, but that doesn't change how much all of this has affected him." There was another pause, although this one was shorter, "Everyone deals with this kind of thing differently. Blaine- he's always plagued by what could have happened."

"Kurt," Wes stopped him softly for a moment, "I have to tell you something."

There was a long beat of silence, "What?"

"Blaine is more than plagued by the could-have-beens," Wes explained slowly, his voice thick. "He was over once and he mentioned something." He stopped to shake his head and run a hand through his hair, "He loves you Kurt. He- he said he wished it had been him- so it wouldn't have been you."

There was a shaky silence over the other end of the phone and Wes spoke again, "Kurt? Are you okay?"

"That doesn't make any sense," Kurt spoke with his voice oddly hoarse and sounding slightly broken. "It wouldn't have changed what happened to me. It wouldn't have. I-I don't get it."

"I don't think it makes sense to him either," Wes explained in a soft voice. "That's the problem. He's dealing with these conflicting emotions and he's hurting so badly from what happened and yet he doesn't know how to feel because he would have gone through so much more if it meant protecting you."

Another beat of silence passed, "Even more reason for him to need his friends' support this weekend."

"I'll talk to the Warblers he's closest too," Wes promised Kurt softly. He paused for a moment, "How are _you_ holding up Kurt?"

"As good as can be expected," came the soft reply. "It still hurts Wes. I don't think that will ever change. I'm going to have to live with this for the rest of my life, but- but I can't let it ruin me. I won't. I can't." Something steely and fierce injected into Kurt's voice as he added, "I'm not going to let some coward take over my life."

"Kurt, I'm glad to hear it," Wes told him in a gentle voice. "Despite outward appearances, you're tough. If anyone can get through this- I know it's you. We all wish you didn't have to- but- well, you know."

"Yeah I know." There was a pause. "I wouldn't have been able to do it without Blaine," Kurt said honestly and Wes could hear the love and trust bubbling in the other boy's voice. "You have no idea how perfect he's been- how understanding and supportive. I'm doing my best to be there for him too, but I know I'm not enough. He's a little unwilling to let me, to be honest. Like most people he wants me to look after myself, but I can't help it; even if all I can do is ask you for help."

"Sometimes that's the best way," Wes kept his voice soft and he found a small smile settling over his face. "What you're doing now- thinking about Blaine's needs when you've got so much going on- that's what good boyfriends too. Actually that's what great boyfriends do. He's lucky to have you."

He heard Kurt laugh softly over the phone, "I've always been the lucky one Wes; always."

"Blaine would probably beg to differ."

"Then he and I will just have to agree to disagree, then won't we?"

Wes chuckled lightly, "I guess so." He paused for a moment before speaking more seriously, "I'll do whatever it takes to get at least some of the Warblers to Cleveland for the rally. You can count on that, Kurt."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: I'm really hoping that I don't have to postpone the next chapter but I have midterms, play performances, essays and a tournament at work so I'm going to be pretty busy, in addition to probably attending a funeral as one of my favourite professor's from first year passed away on Wednesday. I can promise that I will have a new chapter up the week after (Dec 16th) but I will try my best to get it up earlier than that, or even on time.

I'll update this information on my Twitter Nicbearosaurus for those of you who also have Twitter.

Oh yes and pretty, pretty please review? It would help destress me in such a stressful time.


	21. Chapter 21: Been So Blind

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning: **Mentions of non-con. There may also be a bit of swearing.

**A/N**: Okay so I guess I'm not postponing posting this chapter. We'll see how it goes for the next one though. I really did a bad thing by procrastinating on my essays by writing this, but I feel like this chapter had to be written. That and I kind of like how it turned out for the most part. There are a few parts I feel are a little stiff, but otherwise I really think it turned out well.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 21<span> – Been So Blind

Rolling his wheelchair into the living room Artie frowned slightly before addressing his father, "Hey Dad, do you think you could give me and some friends a ride to Cleveland this weekend?"

He watched as a look of shock flitted across his father's face, "Artie, are you going to tell me why you want me to drive to Cleveland on such short notice."

"Well there's this thing for a friend," Artie spoke vaguely at first. "We didn't know it was in Cleveland until a few days ago and Mr. and Mrs. Hummel are driving and so is Ms. Anderson but there's not going to be enough room for the whole club and we already know that your van can take my chair so…" he trailed off with a shrug.

"Is this a glee club thing?" His father asked in a soft voice, "because you know if it is I don't have a problem giving you and a few members a ride." A softened look came over his dad's face and Artie tilted his head as his father continued, "I've seen you come out of your shell so much the past few years since joining that club."

Artie flushed slightly and nodded his head, "It is kind of a glee club thing." He chewed his lip, "Um you heard about what happened a few months ago right; to one of my friends?"

A pained look came over his father's face, "Yes I heard." Then there was a look of recognition; "Is this 'thing for a friend' for him then?"

"Yeah, it's a rally and the club wants to perform and go support him," Artie spoke in a slightly thick voice.

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" His father asked with a frown.

"Well the people we're going for, Kurt and Blaine are gay," Artie said carefully, before continuing quickly, "and really we've never talked about it- well I've never heard you express an opinion one way or another so I wasn't sure- I'm just not sure where you stand on the subject."

"People are people, son, and they have rights to their own bodies," his father told him simply, "Who they love has no impact on that. Especially when they're part of a club that's made my son more confident than I've ever seen him," to both of them the added words of _since __the accident _went unsaid. He frowned for a moment, "I'm a little disappointed that you think so little of me-"

"It's not that Dad," Artie assured him quickly, "I just wanted to be sure. Kurt's really been through enough and I didn't want to risk anyone upsetting him, you know?"

His father's face softened and he smiled, "Alright Artie I get it. You're a good kid." He paused for a moment and sighed, "So when are we leaving for Cleveland and how long are we staying? Are your friends pitching in gas money?"

"Leave it all to me Dad," Artie told his father confidently as he pulled out his cell phone and started tapping out a mass text message, "I'll figure everything out. All you have to do is get us there."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure this is a good idea?" David turned to Jeff and licked his lips, "Well all know that Blaine doesn't really get along with his parents."<p>

Jeff nodded his head, "They're probably going anyways and since none of our parents can do it and won't let us go along we might as well see if we can get a ride." He shrugged his shoulders and rocked on his heels, "It's the most logical solution."

"Except Blaine's told us several times that his parents don't really support him," Wes shook his head as they stood on the front stoop arguing. "They _blame_ him Jeff; so why on Earth would they go to a rally that protests the very thing they're doing?"

"Well then we just have to convince them they're being dumb," Jeff added, sounding confident and smiling slightly. He paused for a minute, looking at the two other Warblers with him, "If Blaine needs us there then he's obviously going to need his parents there too."

"I still think this is a bad idea," David muttered as he pressed his index finger to the doorbell and waited for someone to answer the door. An olive skinned woman with straight black hair answered the door and stared at them for a moment.

"You must be friends of Blaine's from school," she said in a slightly tense voice. "He lives with his aunt now in Lima if you want to see him."

"Actually," Jeff spoke up as he plastered on a smile, "We were hoping to speak to you and Mr. Anderson. We know you're probably going to Cleveland to support him during the rally-"

"Cleveland?" She looked confused and waved them in anyways. She frowned and motioned for them to sit on the couch, "What's all this about Cleveland? What rally?"

"Never mind Mrs. Anderson," Wes spoke in a stiff voice. "Jeff here has mistaken you for good parents. We apologize."

Her face crumpled at the remark and she opened her mouth to protest when a loud booming voice interrupted.

"How dare you speak to my wife like that?" Mr. Anderson growled as he walked into the room with heavy footsteps and leveled a glare at the three boys, "Leave now."

"How dare I?" Wes shook his head, his lip curling angrily, "You're one to talk. I guess you're not aware of how many times I've had to comfort your son because you couldn't give a shit about him."

The look on Mr. Anderson's face, if possible, became angrier. "He's my son, of course I care about him, but coddling him isn't going to make him any tougher. It's a tough world and that kid needs to learn to grow up and accept it."

"It's a tough world?" David looked green, which was difficult considering his dark coloring. "I think Blaine knows that Mr. Anderson. In a _nice_ world people wouldn't have to fight off rape attempts or suffer nightmares or put up with parents like you."

Nate Anderson's face tightened even further and he looked to the slight blond kid, expecting him to try to give him a piece of his mind too, but instead the teen just looked shocked. "What, don't you have something to say too?"

Jeff stared at him for a long moment and something inside of his broke, "Yeah actually I do," he said in a tight voice, like he was trying desperately to hold something back. "Before this I thought the best of people. I used to think that bad things only happened to other people, not my friends. I used to think that with a little patience everyone could learn to love each other like we do at Dalton." He paused for a second and kept his voice from breaking, "I used to think parents loved their children. I guess I was wrong."

Wes laid a hand on Jeff's shoulder. The other teen was largely an optimist but it looked like Mr. Anderson had at least temporarily shattered his optimism. "Do either of you even know what happened to Blaine?" Wes asked in a much softer voice than the one he'd used earlier, hoping that maybe one of the two adults had a heart; that maybe they were just ignorant of to the extent of what had happened to Blaine.

"My bleeding heart sister has already given us this lecture kid," Mr. Anderson shook his head, "I believe you should leave now."

"You don't even know, do you?" Wes asked again, his voice still tight.

"I don't need to be lectured by some pompous little brat! Now I asked you to leave my house," Mr. Anderson's voice rose even louder.

"Nate," Mrs. Anderson spoke softly, her eyes turning to her husband, "Let them say their piece. Obviously this means a lot to them." Her eyes flickered to Jeff who seemed more sad and lost than angry, unlike the other two boys.

He let out a grumble and crossed his arms but didn't argue with his wife.

"Blaine came over to my house a little while ago," Wes began in a thick voice and shook his head. "He was distraught and he finally told us everything," he motioned to himself and David. "He told us about how a teenager he knew had raped someone else, someone he cared about, had pinned him against a locker and started taunting him, basically telling him he was next. He told us-" he stopped shaking his head.

David took a breath and took over for his best friend, "that he threatened to scream to try and make Karofsky leave him alone and do you know what that bastard did? He threatened to kill him." He swallowed his anger carefully before adding, "And why shouldn't Blaine have believed him? The kid raped Kurt, was about to try to rape him; murder and rape are both horrible things and Karofsky had already proved himself capable of one of them."

He stopped for a second, surprised to see that a tear had slipped silently from Mrs. Anderson's eye. He looked at Mr. Anderson who looked unaffected by the spiel and tried a slightly different tactic, "If someone grabbed your wife and threatened to rape her, what would you do?"

Mr. Anderson let out a guttural growl like he was about to pounce at him.

"The very idea pisses you off. You wouldn't want someone to hurt her like that. You wouldn't be able to stand it, would you?"

The older man looked at his wife, but didn't speak. It didn't matter; to the boys his response was answer enough.

"What about your sister? What if someone pinned her down and touched her without her permission, what would you do?" David dodged to the side when Mr. Anderson's anger split open and the man lunged at him with a raise fist at the implication. He breathed heavily as he continued, "Upsets you to think about it, doesn't it? Makes you want to hit me for just suggesting it, doesn't it? I bet if someone actually tried it you might get a little too angry to control yourself. I understand that." He paused, his voice rising angrily until he was yelling, "What I don't understand is how it's any different when it's your child? Shouldn't you be angrier?"

"He's gay-" Mr. Anderson practically spat, but he was soon cut off.

"He likes boys, so what?" David yelled back, surprising Wes, Jeff and even himself as he pushed his face close to the adults, "So does your wife. She's married to you so obviously she likes men. Ms. Anderson likes men too, doesn't she? Does that mean it's okay? No it doesn't. Nothing makes it okay. So what if he's a boy. He's sixteen years old, a sophomore, and a senior, an eighteen year old man tried to force himself on him. That's not okay! I don't see why you think it is." He stopped to catch his breath and lowered his voice to a more respectable level, "Everyone has the rights to their own body. Being gay doesn't preclude that." There was a beat of silence, "and everyone deserves parents who care, but for some reason Blaine got stuck with you."

Mr. Anderson didn't speak, instead he pointed to the door again as he stepped back from the angry teenager.

"Nate," his wife's voice was soft and she looked at the three teens, "just wait a minute. What exactly is this rally about?"

"It's a Denim Day rally. It supports survivors of sexual abuse and reminds them that it's not their fault," Jeff spoke up in a quiet voice, although his words were sharp. "It's this weekend and I know that it would mean a lot to Blaine if you could make it. The rest of us, well we kind of need a ride and that's why we came here, but I guess that was a bad idea."

"Yes it was," Mr. Anderson said in a low growl, "I've never been more disrespected in my life. Now there's a business meeting this weekend so obviously my wife and I won't be attending. I suggest you leave, now."

The three boys left the house in silence, Wes's arm around Jeff's shoulders gently and when the door closed Dawn turned to look at her husband, her eyes glossy, "Nate, have we really been so blind?"

He looked at her with a frown, "What are you talking about?"

"Those boys-"

"Are disrespectful, pompous, little brats," Nate shook his head. "If Blaine still lived here he would not be hanging out with them."

"They've been the ones helping him," she frowned, her voice still soft. "They care about him and emotions were running high. I'm sure in any other situation they'd be very polite, respectable young men. We've met Wes and David before so you know it's true." She paused for a moment at her husband's silence, "They're right you know. Blaine is just a child, and what they said; is it really any difference who or what a person is? Blaine had a right to say no and- and that other boy didn't have a right to ignore him." She swallowed thickly and her eyes shone a little brighter with salty tears, "That's not his fault Nate. We- we've been so wrong."

"A boy doesn't become a man by being weak Dawn," he spoke in a firm voice. "Blaine will thank us later when he realizes we've done him a favor."

"He's not a man," Dawn's voice trembled as she struggled to hide her irritation, "He's just a boy Nate. He's still just a boy and even fully grown adults would have trouble dealing with something like that. I know if it happened to me I'd be a mess."

"You're a woman-"

"So what?" She shook her head and her mouth dropped open, "He's a child." She stared at her husband as if she was really seeing him for the first time. "Do you even care what happens to him?"

"Of course I do," his head snapped around at the implication. "He's my son. I'm going to do what I think it best for him and what's best for him to forget it and move on. All these dramatics aren't going to help him. A stiff upper lip and thicker skin is what he needs and coddling him isn't going to give that to him." He shook his head, "I thought you agreed with me."

"Maybe for some things that would help, but it's occurred to me that this isn't one of those things," she spoke in a quiet voice. "I don't want him to be hurting Nate, it kills me."

"And do you think I like it?" He retorted angrily. "Don't you think I want to march myself into that prison and wring that little asshole's neck? Of course I do but that's not going to help Blaine. He needs to be strong Dawn, and calm and moved past this already. Lingering over it is not going to help him." He paused for a moment, "I understand that his friend might take a bit longer in that sense. He was raped, but Blaine was not and well- he should be over it by now." He bit down on his lip, "It's not- I can't see him hurting Dawn and I'm not about to watch him hang onto that pain."

"So instead you're just going to add to it?" She asked in a thick voice, "because that's what you're doing. That's what we did when we walked out of his life and refused to support him." She shook her head, "I don't see why he'd want to hang on to that pain- from what I hear he's desperately trying to let go, but Nate this has to be really hard for him."

"Life is hard," he growled, steeling himself, "His entire life is going to be hard. He's gay. I'm not saying it's bad that he's gay or whatever, but it's certainly not going to make life easy for him now is it? That much has already proved obvious."

She licked her lips and swallowed. There was a deep breath and she stood up carefully and smoothed down her dress, before leveling her eyes at her husband, "I'm leaving."

He rolled his eyes and sighed, "Alright. I'll see you tonight."

"No Nate, I'm leaving, as in not coming back," she told him, her voice no longer trembling but firm. "I can't- I can't accept that you won't help our son. I hate myself enough already for waiting so long to realize how horrible of a mother I've been and I know if I stay here any longer I'll start to hate you too."

"Dawn-" his voice was soft and quiet.

"And I know about Hayley," she added with a weak smile. "I've known for a while. I didn't leave you or bring it up because you were always such a good husband. I've realized, thanks to those brave boys that it's just not enough. You need to be a good father to my son too." She took a deep breath, before adding; "Besides good husbands don't cheat on their wives." She reached up on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek softly, before moving towards their bedroom to pack her things.

She stood on the steps for a moment and looked back at him when she heard him speak, "but Dawn I love you. I'll break it off with Hayley. I'll-"

"I love you too Nate, but that's not enough," she told him in a soft voice.

"I'll even go to that stupid rally. I'll apologize to Blaine if that's what you want," he added, his voice laced with desperation, "Dawn please don't do this to me."

She looked at him, her face laced with pain and regret at the way he spoke. It was obvious that he truly loved her, but fake support and false apologies weren't going to help her son in the slightest. "It's too late for that Nate."

"I'm sorry!" He added more forcefully, "Dawn I'm _sorry_."

"I am too."

* * *

><p>It was too much too early to be awake for a weekend and the Hummel-Hudson house was packed as eighteen different people tried to make sure they had everything they needed for the trip.<p>

It was hard when fourteen of said people were overtired, sleepy, irritable teenagers.

"Are you sure you need all of that Kurt," Burt asked his son in a careful voice when he saw the two bags his son had packed up, "We're coming back tomorrow."

Kurt frowned at his father and blinked tiredly, "I had to pack my entire moisturizing routine and pajamas and possible outfits for tomorrow. Trust me Dad, all of this is necessary."

Burt shook his head, "One bag Kurt. You only need one outfit for tomorrow, so you might as well pick it out now."

Kurt gave grumble and went upstairs to repack his stuff. Burt rubbed his head tiredly and let out a small yawn. There was no doubt Kurt would come back with one bag bulging with whatever he could manage to fit in it. His son was no light packer; he had to be prepared for anything.

He looked for the group of kids that would be travelling with him and found them easily enough, considering it was only two of them and they were sticking close together, "Mercedes, Sam," he smiled at them easily, "It'll probably be a few minutes. Kurt needs to repack."

"Oh," Mercedes nodded her head, before smiling and pulling out her wallet. "Here's some gas money and a little to pitch in for the hotel."

Burt accepted the money quickly, noticing how uncomfortable the blond boy looked as he sat next to his girlfriend. Sam's head was pointed downward and his lips were pursed. His hand reached into his pocket and he pulled out a few crumpled bills, "It's not much, but I can give you more next time I get paid Mr. Hummel."

"Don't worry about it Sam," Burt told him in a quiet voice, accepting the few bills knowing that it would only upset the boy more about his financial situation if he didn't. "It's enough that you're supporting my son. A lot of people would be scared off if something like this happened to their friend; I'm glad Kurt's friends aren't like that."

Sam smiled weakly and nodded his head.

"Alright honey," Carole popped over and kissed her husband tenderly on the cheek, "We're going to get going now. We'll see you when we get there?"

Burt's face broke out in a smile and put a hand on his wife's waist, before kissing her full on the lips despite the group of teens watching them, "Of course. I love you Carole."

She giggled softly, "Burt we're embarrassing the children."

"They can handle it," he said in a gruff voice that didn't hide his smile, before repeating, "I love you."

She sighed and shook her head fondly, "I love you too Burt Hummel." She motioned to the four teens who would be accompanying her in her car. Finn, Rachel, Tina and Mike followed her without complaint, waving to the others as they left.

"I'm sure Blaine would like to say goodbye to Kurt before we leave," Marina Anderson sighed, seating carefully on the couch. Her nephew was sitting next to her with a small frown on his face. Somehow it had been decided that he would be riding with the unholy trio (Quinn refused to ride with Finn and Santana was not about to let Brittany ride with Artie) and while he didn't have anything against them, he didn't exactly know the three girls that well.

Artie's father smiled lightly and gave a smile, "I'll follow Carole then I suppose." He lightly grasped the handles of his son's wheelchair and gave it a push. "Alright son, let's get moving. Which of your friends did you say are coming with us?"

"Puck and Lauren," Artie explained lightly, pointing out the couple.

Artie's father looked at Puck uncertainly for a moment.

"Dad, he's cool yo," Artie rolled his eyes at his father and shook his head.

Shay Abrams didn't make another comment, instead wheeling his son out the door as the two other teens followed with them.

There was a few beats of silence as they waited for Kurt to return and Santana took a moment to turn towards Blaine, "Hey Hobbit, can I talk to you?"

Blaine frowned, "Um sure."

"Privately," she motioned towards the kitchen and rolled her eyes when he frowned at her. "Listen I'm not going to attack you or anything. I just want to talk."

He rose to his feet and followed her into the kitchen, before asking her, "What Santana? We're about to spend three hours together cooped up in a tin can together, so what is it that's so important it can't wait?"

"Someone's snippy without his coffee," she retorted easily, before frowning. "Look the whole three hours in a tin can thing is why I want to talk to you." Her voice kept it's usual abrupt tone as she asked, "You don't hate me, do you?"

He looked taken aback for a moment, "Why would I hate you?"

"I brought Kurt, the boy you love, back to McKinley," she said it as if it were obvious. "I made him think Karofsky was safe. I got him _raped._" She shook her head for a moment, before continuing with the same faked indifference, "and if you haven't noticed Hobbit, but if Kurt hadn't gotten raped you wouldn't have transferred to McKinley and wouldn't be dealing with any of this shit either. I almost got you raped _too_ and I didn't even see what Karofsky was doing and I was supposed to be _dating_ him, or at least pretending to. I'm not an idiot even if I was acting like one when I let all this shit happen. I'd get it if you hated me."

"Are you insane?" He asked her after a long moment of silence.

"Look I'm just saying I'd get it if you hated me," she shrugged her shoulders, pretending it didn't matter to her at all. "I fucked things up for you and Kurt big time. I get it. I just don't want to sit in a car for three hours with a hateful Hobbit and I know you're too nice to tell me in front of the others or to say anything unless I call you out on it." She crossed her arms under her breasts, "So?"

"I don't hate you Santana," he told her in a gentle voice. "I'm going to remind you of what Kurt's probably said to you hundreds of times by now, you didn't know and therefore it wasn't your fault." He let out a sigh, "Got it?"

"Whatever-" she turned to walk away but he grabbed her wrist.

"Seriously Santana, listen to me," he spoke firmly. "It wasn't your fault any more than it was mine or Kurt's or anyone but Karofsky's." He shook his head, "The only one here who hates you is _you_."

"You think you know so much, don't you Eyebrows," she growled under her breath.

"You make it kind of obvious," he told her seriously. "You can pretend it doesn't matter to you all you want but the very fact you brought me here to talk about this means you do. It wasn't your fault."

"You don't know _anything_," She snapped her wrist out of his wrist and stalked out of the kitchen, leaving Blaine staring after her.

* * *

><p>AN: The Blaine/Santana thing was so unplanned. I hope it worked anyways. Let me know what you think about Blaine's parents too. I was really going for the 'care about their son but are imperfect' angle, especially with Nate Anderson. I think he does care about Blaine (erm, deep down or something) but his ideas on showing it and what's best for him are way off the mark. That and he's just kind of a douche...

Also don't worry there will be more Kurt in the next chapter and pretty much all subsequent chapters! There was going to be more Kurt in this chapter too, but the Warbler/Anderson scene got a little long and then the Blaine/Santana scene popped up and the chapter just got too long in my opinion. Besides the part where Santana stalks away from Blaine just seemed like an organic end to the chapter.


	22. Chapter 22: How to Live Again

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**A/N**: Yeah the bit about the transport has happened to me way too many times to count. I usually wait for a double/passing lane before even thinking about attempting to pass them and even then sometimes I don't risk it.

Also, some people want to scream (that's just the kind of week I had). On the good side of things though I have officially finished the Fall semester of university and won't be going crazy with stress.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 22<span> – How to Live Again

Kurt's fingers tapped against his lap as he stared out the window at the passing scenery. He chanced a look at his father, but Burt Hummel was concentrating on the road and the badly driven transport truck that was swerving over the center line in front of them.

His eyes flickered to the rearview mirror and a slow smile found his face at the sight of Mercedes' head dropped on Sam's shoulder, sleeping with their fingers like a zebra, entwined together with a small sleepy smile of her own on her face.

Personally he was unable to sleep, but it was nice to see his best friend looking so peaceful and happy.

His fingers continued tapping quietly on his thigh and Sam's eyes found his after a moment. "You're good together," Kurt said in a soft voice, motioning with a hand to him and Mercedes. "Very cute, but you do know if you hurt her I will be forced to destroy you?"

Sam's lips curled into a smile, "So I've been told numerous times." The smile faded a little bit and Kurt realized that the tension on his face had to be obvious no matter how much he tried to force himself to be calm. "You alright?"

This time Burt's gaze did flicker momentarily from the road in front of him, apparently listening carefully.

"Yeah, of course," Kurt shrugged his shoulders and turned his head back to the side window. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Dude," Sam's voice was still soft as he tried not to wake his sleeping girlfriend, "Because if you're not then that'd be kind of freaky."

"Gee thanks," Kurt muttered, leaning his forehead against the window. He didn't look back at the other boy, but instead speaking in a quiet voice as his eyes gazed out the window, "I'll admit I'm nervous. There's going to be so many people there- and well not everyone's really okay with who I am and I just- when I go say my bit, I'm worried about what they might say about my…"

"Lifestyle?" Sam finished for him when Kurt trailed off.

A wry laugh escaped Kurt's mouth, "You know it's crazy. Everybody else has a life, but me, I have a 'lifestyle'," he air-quoted. "How's that fair?"

"It's not, but well you know," Sam looked like he was about to shrug his shoulders, but thought better of it in case it woke a slumbering Mercedes, "Life isn't fair. I mean- if it was I wouldn't be homeless and you wouldn't a reason to go to this rally."

Kurt laughed softly but there was no mirth in it. "I guess you're right about that."

"You don't have to be nervous," Sam told him in a quiet voice, "I know it's not going to change the fact that you are, but you're going to have all of us to look out for you. You're going to have all of us to cheer you on and support you and stuff. Besides, you can like- teach those people so they know better, right?"

Another slow smile found Kurt's face as a certain lightness sifted into his body. "You're right Sam."

The only people that mattered would stand by his side and already knew that his 'lifestyle' was not a choice but in his DNA. The others would just have to learn to see.

* * *

><p>"Stop it Hobbit," Santana growled from where she was wedged between Brittany and Quinn. She didn't know how she got herself stuck in what she called the 'bitch seat'. Well that was a lie, she had known Brittany had wanted a window seat and also wanted to hold her hand during the trip.<p>

She was not about to hold her hand over Quinn's lap and had therefore ended to squished between the other two girls. Thank God all of them were fairly slim.

There was some comfort in the way her bare thigh brushed against Brittany's as they interlocked their fingers.

"Stop what?" Blaine asked, twisting around to look at her from the front seat, "What am I doing?"

"Giving me those concerned looks," she muttered, wanting to cross her arms but reluctant to break her bond with her girlfriend. Brittany always managed to keep her grounded and somehow today that seemed more necessary.

"You want me to stop caring?" Blaine asked with a shake of his head.

"Precisely. Can't you sleep or something?" She shook her head and motioned to Quinn who'd wedged a pillow between her head and the window and was snoring delicately, "Take a page out of Blondie's book please, and stop staring at me."

"You can't make me stop caring," he told her, still twisted around in his seat. "I'm worried about you and being crabby at me isn't going to change that."

This was so much worse than the hate she'd been expecting, "Worry about yourself, Hobbit-"

"He has a name Santana," Marina's voice cut into the conversation, polite but firm. "Please don't insult my nephew whilst in my car."

"Sorry Ms. Anderson," she mumbled respectfully (getting kicked out of the vehicle was definitely not on her to-do list for the day), before saying very purposefully, "Worry about yourself, _Blaine_."

"I will once you stop insisting on blaming yourself for everything," Blaine told her persistently, his arms crossing over his chest. "It wasn't your fault and it's about time you come to terms with that. He tricked you just like he did everyone else."

"I'm confused," Brittany's sweet voice cut in and her face was fixed in a frown as she looked between them, "What's Santana blaming herself for?" The blonde leaned forward and pressed a simple kiss on Santana's cheek, "She didn't do anything wrong."

"Try telling her that," Blaine muttered under her breath, "She certainly won't listen to me."

"What?" Brittany cocked her head to the side. "I still don't understand."

"Santana thinks that because Karofsky tricked her into thinking he'd be nice to Kurt and everyone that it's her fault what happened to Kurt and me," Blaine explained to her with a sigh, "Silly right?"

"Very," Brittany nodded her head. "Kurtie told me that it wasn't my fault about Kevin because he tricked me. Tricking people is a mean thing, but it's not the tricked person's fault, right?"

"Exactly," Blaine nodded his head, his eyes flickering meaningfully at Santana.

"Whatever," Santana's hand had extracted from Brittany's and she crossed them under her breasts tightly.

Brittany looked sad and her bottom lip trembled, "Santana- was it my fault Kevin and them were mean to Kurt and Blaine; since I helped them?"

Santana's arms immediately loosened and she wrapped the thin blonde in her arms, "Of course not Britty. You didn't know-"

"Well neither did you," Brittany said resolutely, her voice still kind of sad. "See? If it's not my fault than it's not yours either." She grinned brightly, having been surprisingly sneaky, "You're not allowed to blame yourself, because if you do you're blaming me too."

"Britt I-" Santana shook her head and smiled, "You're way too smart for your own good."

"I know," Brittany smiled brightly, leaning into her.

"I told you so," Blaine's words had a small edge of playfulness and she turned her head to look at him.

"Shut it Hobbit," she paused when Marina's eyebrows raised, "Sorry, _Blaine._"

* * *

><p>When Kurt walked into the square surrounded by his parents, friends and the other adults that had joined them, he stopped at the sheer amount of people bustling around the area.<p>

"Dude, you okay?" He heard Finn asking him and he nodded dumbly as he clung to Blaine's hand to avoid losing him.

He paused, licking his lips, "There's, just, a lot of people here." He swallowed, "I didn't think there were this many people who- who understood- or um- supported the cause I guess." He paused again, murmuring more to himself than Finn, "There are so many people."

"Is that a bad thing?" Finn asked, cocking his head to the side, staying close to his brother. The entire group was trying to keep together, but the bustling crowd made it a little bit difficult.

Thank God for cell phones.

"Well kind of," Kurt murmured with a shrug of his shoulders. "It means- it means all these people have either- experienced it or know someone who has." He bit his lip, "Seeing this many people here-" he took a breath, "Does it really happen that often?"

"I don't know dude," Finn shouldered a guy out of the way that tried to push between them to get past and shot him a glare before mouthing, 'go around'. He turned his attention back to both Kurt and Blaine, "Maybe everyone just has lots of friends or something. I mean like there's practically twenty of us here just for you and Blaine."

"That's still a lot of people," Kurt whispered, his hand subconsciously tugging Blaine slightly closer to him. Their hips brushed together and just the touch eased some of his tension.

"Kurt, some of these people are probably here because of things in the distant past too," Blaine's voice cut in softly. "And they're probably from all around Ohio."

"I know that," Kurt murmured, keeping close between the two boys. "It's just I see them all and I keep wondering why they're here. I keep wondering: what's _their_ story? Lately I've been so wrapped up in everything going on around us that I forgot there were so many others. I knew there'd be a lot of people," He paused softly, "I just didn't expect quite this many. I don't- I don't know how I'm supposed to find-" he stopped and cut himself off. He definitely wanted the Warblers to be a surprise, despite how anxious this crowd was making him.

He couldn't let his nervousness give the game away.

Kurt shook his head and smiled apprehensively, his jacket still covering his shirt. The group decided to converge at a group of tables that were set up and he sank gratefully into one of the chairs, leaning very slightly into his boyfriend when he sat beside him.

"Kurt," he turned his head at the sound of Mercedes' voice, "Are you going to show us what you decided to wear? You've been keeping it such a closely guarded secret and I'll admit- it's killing me boo."

Seventeen pairs of eyes were suddenly on him and he felt his face start to flush slightly. It was his fault after all by not letting anyone know what he was wearing underneath his jacket. He hadn't even let Blaine or Finn or even his parents in on the secret.

He licked his lips and carefully fiddled with the buttons of his jacket and let them come undone under his shaking fingers to reveal a brand new white cotton t-shirt that proclaimed loudly "LIKES BOYS".

"I was wearing my Born This Way t-shirt that day," he explained in a soft voice, despite that most of them already knew that detail. "I threw it away because- well it'd set him off and suddenly I wasn't proud of being gay anymore." Blaine's hand squeezed his gently and the rest of his family and friends stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. "I didn't feel safe being who I was."

He chewed down on his lip and took a steadying breath, "I was ashamed, but now- I'm not anymore. He took so much away from me but it stops now."

A calloused thumb wiped the underneath of his eyes and he looked over at Blaine in confusion, only to see the other boy giving him an encouraging look as he withdrew his hand.

He hadn't even realized he'd been crying. "I'm proud to be me again. I'm proud of- of every single part of me- including the part of me that survived being raped." He swallowed thickly and two lips were pressing softly against his cheek during the silence before Blaine's thumbs gently swiped away the rest of the tears.

"Good, 'cause you've got a lot to be proud of," Burt's voice was gruff from across the table and Kurt found himself smiling. There was a certain glossy aspect to his father's light eyes and honestly his father's pride was all he could ever ask for. "I'm certainly proud of you Kurt."

"Thanks Dad," he whispered softly, leaning his head against Blaine's shoulder and feeling some of the tension in his body start to relax away.

A month ago if he'd even thought about wearing this shirt it would have sent his body into a terrified tremble, but now, surrounded by his family and friends that accepted him without reserve or judgment, he just felt safe; nervous, but safe.

It was a feeling he hadn't felt since that day April.

* * *

><p>"Hello everyone," Rachel spoke into the microphone as she addressed the crowd before them. "We're the New Directions glee club and we'd like to dedicate this song to our good friend and brother, Kurt, and to all the other survivors out there tonight."<p>

In his place in the center of the group, Kurt smiled slightly and gave Rachel a grateful look. He'd never asked for the dedication, but it meant so much more that she'd made it of her own accord.

She paused and opened her mouth, singing clearly as the band began to play.

_When your tears are spent on your last pretence  
>And your tired eyes refuse to close and sleep in your defense.<br>When it's in your spine like you've walked for miles  
>And the only thing you want is just to be still for a while<em>

She heard the voices of the rest of the club, including Kurt, pick up behind her, harmonizing and she joined them, letting her voice fade so that they were all one wall of sound.

_Oh ay oh, oh ay oh, ooo, _

_Oh ay oh, oh ay oh, ooo_

Finn's voice broke from the harmony, singing louder as his eyes locked on his brother's. He circled the other boy, his mouth wide as the words flowed out with more emotion than he thought possible.

_If your heart wears thin I will hold you up  
>And I will hide you when it gets too much<br>I'll be right beside you  
>I'll be right beside you<em>

Mercedes stepped forward, hugging Kurt tightly during the brief musical interlude, choosing to sing directly to him, rather than the crowd.

_When you're overwhelmed and you've lost your breath  
>When the space between the things you know is blurry nonetheless.<br>When you try to speak but you make no sound  
>And the words you want are out of reach but they've never been so loud<br>_

The entirety of the club's voices rose up, half of them singing the words, and the other half was still harmonizing behind them. Puck's words were rising just a little louder than the rest.

_If your heart wears thin I will hold you up  
>And I will hide you when it gets too much<br>I'll be right beside you  
>I'll be right beside you<em>

_I will stay._  
><em>Nobody will break you,<em>  
><em>Yeah.<em>

Sam broke in, his voice rising above the others as Puck's drifted back into the harmony. He smiled gently at his friend as he sang the words.

_Trust in me, trust in me.  
>Don't pull away<br>Trust in me, trust in me._

Blaine took over the next singing the next two lines and grasping Kurt's hand tightly, his eyes glossy and wet.

_I'm just trying to keep this together,  
>Because I could do worse and you could do better<em>

Tina's voice was clear as she sang softly in unison with Brittany and Quinn; their voices blending sweet and high.

_Tears are spent on your last pretence  
>And your tired eyes refuse to close and sleep in your defense.<br>_

Santana's voice rose higher over them, tears wet on her cheeks, singing as though the words would take the guilt from her chest.

_If your heart wears thin I will hold you up  
>And I will hide you when it gets too much<br>I'll be right beside you  
>Nobody will break you<br>_

The rest of the New Directions joined her, joining their voices together again until it was blended into one.

_If your heart wears thin I will hold you up  
>And I will hide you when it gets too much<br>I'll be right beside you  
>Nobody will break you.<em>

Kurt barely paid any attention to the uproar the crowd was causing at their performance. He was breathing heavily and smiling as his friends all converged on him, giving him a group hug. This was _nothing_ like his nightmare.

It was hard to imagine that once upon a time he'd been so lonely and now he had all of these people who truly cared about him.

The hug broke and he grasped Blaine's hand tightly in his. He tilted his head for a moment, asking for a moment, "So are you going to tell me now why you insisted on singing those lines?"

Blaine licked his lips softly, "I wanted you to know that I will do whatever it takes to keep us, to keep you together. I love you Kurt. I never want to lose you- to anything."

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed as they followed the rest of the club off the stage and he squeezed Blaine's hand gently, "Why would you ever lose me? I love you Blaine. Losing me is something you'll never have to worry about, okay?" He paused for a moment, adding with a tender smile, "I could never do any better than you Blaine. I hope you know that.

Blaine's eyes looked up at him, "You really think so?"

"Just because your parents don't realize how special you are doesn't mean that I don't- or that you shouldn't," Kurt shook his head softly and leaned in quickly to peck him on the lips. "I couldn't have done this without you. You helped save me Blaine. You did save me."

"It doesn't feel like it-"

"You are perfect," Kurt told him fiercely, bringing the younger boy closer to him. "You have no idea how everything you've done since that day in April has kept me from falling apart. You kept me together Blaine. You kept me sane." He paused, his eyes shining brightly, "You helped me figure out how to live again."

A smile was slowly growing over Blaine's face, "I did?"

"You did," he promised, kissing him gently again. He squeezed his hand, their finger's interlocking. "Come on, we need to prepare. Our duet is soon."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Well there you have it, chapter 22. Please drop me a review, thank you kindly!


	23. Chapter 23: Start Over Again

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning:** Mentions of non-con and swearing. That's why it's rated M.

**A/N:** This chapter was SO hard to write for a couple reasons. Usually I have a new episode of Glee to give me some inspiration, but I had to do this one all on my own! Well I already had half of it written but writing the other half was just plain hard. The other reason, I've been super sick the last few days but luckily I seem to be mostly over it now. Plus December is always a busy month with Christmas and the fact that I'm pretty sure half my family members were born in December.

Oh and again the girl isn't a major character. She's a background character, although she does get a name, eventually. She's important for the plot in a sense, but performs most of those duties in the background. You'll probably get what I mean once you read the chapter.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 23<span> – Start Over Again

"Are you ready for this?" Blaine asked quietly as they stood behind the makeshift stage, their eyes watching as a woman, one of the people that had set up the event by the sounds of it, gave a rousing speech to the audience. There was a lot of cheering and they both waited for it to die down a little before Kurt even tried to open his mouth to answer.

"To sing, yes," Kurt answered in a soft voice, biting down on his lip a little. He buttoned up his light jacket, choosing to wait to show it to the crowd. "To tell everyone what happened to me, I'm not so sure."

"You can do this Kurt," Blaine's voice was soft and reassuring as his hand carefully interlocked their fingers and gently squeezed. "You're the bravest, most courageous person I know. You told Karofsky, the guy who put you through so much, to fuck off. If you can do that, you can do anything. You can tell these people Kurt. Going up there and telling everyone how what he did isn't going to control your life, that's the ultimate 'fuck you' to Karofsky, don't you think?"

He looked at his boyfriend. There certainly was a point to that logic. Dr. MacLeod had told him that rape wasn't really about sex; that it was really all about power. Karofsky had tried to exert power over him, tried to force him into losing self-esteem, feeling worthless and just down right shitty about himself and who he was.

She'd said she couldn't be sure because she wasn't treating him, but it seemed like he was trying to push his own feelings onto him. She'd also added that, while still she couldn't say anything for sure, his more recent behavior made it seem like he might have a serious mental abnormality considering how much the other boy seemed to enjoy causing other people pain.

By telling all these people that he refused to feel that way; that he refused to let what had been done to him control him, he might actually be telling Karofsky he failed. That thought was enough to make him want to go up there and tell the whole damn story.

The other boy had tried to make a mess of him and yes, for a while he'd been a disaster, but now he was slowly picking up the pieces. Like the aftermath of a tornado he was slowly rebuilding his life from the pieces and wreckage left behind. This time he could build himself up bigger and stronger than before; learning from the pain, the winds that had torn him down.

"Up next I'd like to introduce two more performers that may look a little familiar to you. Earlier today we had the New Directions Glee Club from Lima, Ohio performing and now two of their members, two _survivors_ would like to treat us to a duet they've put together. Please put your hands together for Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson."

There was applause after the woman spoke and Kurt took in a deep breath, before slowly walking out across the black flooring with Blaine's hand tightly entwined with his. He could do this. _They_ could do this.

Kurt stared out at the sea of people standing in the mall parking lot that were looking at him expectantly where he stood on the stage that had temporarily been erected there. His eyes flickered to Blaine, who gave him another encouraging smile.

He picked up the microphone in front of him, watching as Blaine did the same with the other microphone. "I think we all miss what it was like to truly be a child; back when we were totally unaware that things like rape and violence could happen. I remember being six years old and the world just seemed perfect. I miss that, we both do, and that's why Blaine and I chose to sing this song today," Kurt said into the microphone. There was a beat of white noise, before he started singing softly, his eyes shining as he looked out again at the crowd.

_Once in a while I act like a child _

_To feel like a kid again_

_It gets like a prison _

_In the body I'm living in_

'_cause everyone's watching_

_Quick to start talking_

_Losing my innocence_

_Wish I were a little boy_

_Without the weight of the world_

Blaine's voice picked up softly, joining in the chorus as he sang with his boyfriend. It was hard remembering a time when the worst either of them had hurt had been a scrape that their mother or father had kissed better; when they would bend instead of breaking.

_It would be nice_

_To start over again_

_Before we were men_

_I'd give, I'd bend_

_Let's play pretend_

Kurt let his voice fade away and just listen as Blaine sang out the heartache that came with being practically being abandoned by his parents. He could only imagine what it was like for the parents who raised you to suddenly turn their back on you when you needed them most. Blaine however had to live with the reality and it was apparent in the emotional depth that rang through his voice.

_Remember the time _

_We had soda for wine_

_And we got by on gratitude_

_The worst they could do to you_

_Was check your attitude_

_Yeah when fights were for fun_

_We had water in guns_

_And a place we could call our own_

_How we lost hold of home_

_I guess I'll never know_

Again both boys sang the chorus again, clasping each other's hands again and holding them tight. There was no choreography, but they didn't need it. The song was not about showmanship, it was pure nostalgia for the innocent times they could only keep in their memories.

_It would be nice_

_To start over again_

_Before we were men_

_I'd give, I'd bend_

_Let's play pretend_

_And when it's the end_

_Our lives will make sense_

_We'll love, we'll bend_

_Let's play pretend_

_It's not gonna be long_

_Before we're all gone_

_With nothing to show for them_

_Stop taking lives, come on_

_Let's all grow up again_

_It would be nice_

_To start over again_

_Before we were men_

_I'd give, I'd bend_

_Let's play pretend_

_And when it's the end_

_Our lives will make sense_

_We'll love, we'll bend_

_Let's play pretend_

Kurt paused as he finished the song and looked carefully at Blaine, "Do you think I should?"

"I think it would be incredibly brave of you," Blaine murmured to him in a soft voice, "You have a little time to decide anyways. There's at least twenty minutes before anyone expects you up there."

"Yeah," Kurt murmured, and he frowned suddenly, his eyes catching on someone who looked incredibly familiar. "Just a second," he muttered to Blaine, passing by him and following a girl he could have sworn he'd seen before.

Blaine kept behind him and he was thankful that his boyfriend was staying close. He had made a pact with the rest of the club and the parental chaperones that none of them would go off alone. It may have slipped his mind for a moment when he'd first caught sight of the familiar stranger.

"Excuse me," he finally caught up to her and took in a soft, panting breath, "Do I know you?"

The girl turned around, her auburn hair swinging a little to reveal a very familiar childlike face. "Hi Kurt," She extended a hand and he shook it with a bit of a frown still on his face.

"We met her at the clinic," Blaine whispered quietly in his ear and a look of recognition eased the confusion in his features.

"Your boyfriend's right," she told him with a small smile. "I'm glad you got the flyer I sent-"

"A guy from school named Azimio gave the flyer to my brother," Kurt commented, his eyebrows furrowing again.

"And who do you think Az got it from?" She shook her head softly. "I go to McKinley too, you know. I was a freshman this past year but I'm not really noticed that much which honestly used to be quite fine by me. Anyway I suggested he pass it along. He said you didn't want to see him and I told him to figure it out." She shrugged her shoulders softly and looked towards the stage where someone else was now performing, "I saw your name on one of the time sheets. I'm right before you. Nervous?"

"Yeah," he commented in a quiet voice, wondering why on earth he was talking to a girl whose name he didn't even know. It _was_ kind of his fault for tracking her down, he figured, but she was still a complete stranger to him, even if she'd secretly been the behind the scenes reason for New Directions being there. "Blaine's convinced me it'll be okay, though." He paused for a moment and asked, "How do you know Azimio?"

"I kind of forced the friendship," she smiled lightly, a small bit of redness finding her cheeks. "I'm told I'm a bit disconcerting, but I figured he needed a friend- a real friend- and I was finally ready to be someone's friend again. It just seemed right."

Kurt found himself nodded and was surprised by the next words that came from his mouth, "I'm glad. He deserves to have someone he can trust. I never really thought about it before in too much detail, but it must have been hard realizing someone you thought you knew turned out to be someone else entirely."

The girl nodded her head but didn't comment further, apparently unwilling to betray Azimio's feelings, not even to Kurt. There was a long pause and she shrugged her shoulders, "I should go get ready. I'm up next."

"Good luck," Kurt wished quietly.

"Thanks," she smiled wanly, before taking off towards where the woman who had announced their duet was apparently waiting for her.

Kurt turned to his boyfriend, "I guess we learn something new every day, don't we?" He shook his head softly before adding, "I hope she's good for Azimio. Even if I'm not overly fond of the guy, he does need someone to help him through all this just as much as we do."

"What Karofsky did probably felt like a betrayal," Blaine agreed in a quiet voice, before shaking his head, "I don't think we should dwell on it too much Kurt. You've got a lot on your mind already." Blaine paused for a moment, "Have you decided if you want to go up there?" He lightly squeezed his hand. "I'll be right there with you if you need me to be."

"I-" Kurt stopped and looked carefully at his boyfriend before continuing in a soft voice, "I think I need to do this one on my own. You understand, right?"

"Of course," Blaine murmured as they walked towards the wings of the darkened stage to watch and wait. "Somehow I feel like you're right. Maybe- maybe I suffered too, but it wasn't the same. Yours was worse. This one's your battle; I just wanted you to know you didn't have to fight it alone."

"I'm never alone," Kurt told him in a soft voice, "I have you."

* * *

><p>Kurt watched as the unnamed redhead girl he'd talked to earlier finished up her speech about her decision to tell her mother and got a cry of applause and support from the people standing in the street. Everyone seemed to support her and he wondered if they would feel the same when he climbed up onto that stage himself.<p>

The girl gave a shaky smile to the audience that was just visible from his position in the wings.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward, accepting the microphone from the shaky girl when she handed it to him.

"Good luck Kurt," she whispered with a small smile.

"Thanks," he whispered back, feeling his heart tighten with anticipation and fear. "You were great."

She thanked him and left, leaving him to the stage by himself, staring out at the hundreds of people standing in the street.

"Hello," he choked into the microphone as the people gave him their attention once again, only this time Blaine wasn't up there with him. "Um, my name's Kurt- Kurt Hummel and- well, I'm gay."

The audience was mostly quiet. He thought he heard a muffled slur somewhere in the crowd, but it was mostly drowned out by the general noise of what was happening in the area.

He paused and sucked in a breath, "A while ago I was attacked. Well no, I wasn't just attacked. I was raped. I didn't want to tell anyone. He kept telling me that I wanted it and it made me feel like I deserved it or something. I know now that I didn't, but he made me feel like no one would believe that I didn't want it. He even seemed to think I wanted it, but that's not true. No means no and I said no. I told him to stop." He stopped himself, wiping furiously at the tears streaming down his face.

He carefully opened the red jacket and revealed the shirt he was wearing. "I was wearing a shirt identical to this the day I was raped. As you can see it says that I like boys. What I don't understand is how expressing myself- how letting people know that I am proud of who I am- makes it okay for someone else to take control of my body. It's not okay. Whether you're gay, straight, bi, transgender or whatever, your body is your body and nobody has the right to take from you something you don't want to give." His breath hitched and he ground his teeth against his tears. "I was raped because of who I am, but that doesn't make it my fault."

He pulled himself together. "I managed to tell my family and friends. It was through their support that I can come up here today knowing with confidence that I didn't want it and no one can tell me or you what I want or what you want. You're supposed to be the one to make that decision, no one else. So I guess I'm up here to say that guys can get raped too. Mainly I'm up here to say to the guy who raped me, even though he's in prison now, and to the ignorant people who would try to tear me down just because of who I am and who I love, that just because I'm gay doesn't mean I'll have sex with any guy. It doesn't mean that it doesn't matter if I say no. It matters." He paused for a soft moment, "I matter. We _all_ matter."

His eyes sought out Rachel in the crowd and locked on her encouraging brown eyes. This part would be for her- to show her that her words weeks ago had more of an impact on him than he'd originally let on, "I was victimized, but I am not a victim, not anymore. I'm a survivor."

He took a deep breath and looked back towards the backstage area, before looking back at the crowd, "There's one other thing I wanted to say."

He licked his lips and opened his mouth again, "I was lucky. Well- I wasn't lucky. That's not really the right term to use, but I have a family that supports me no matter what and that's part of what got me through this." He paused again and stared out at the sea of people, "Not everyone has that. Some people don't understand what it's like to suffer like this. Some people think that it's something we can just jump back from, but it doesn't work like that." He clenched his hands around the microphone for a second, "Even if someone wasn't raped- even if they managed to get away, or had someone walk in on it and stop it, that doesn't mean they don't suffer because of it."

He blinked back a few tears and sniffed lightly. "Nobody was able to save me, but even if they had- I still would have felt used and abused and terrified and all of those things. Just please, listen to me for a moment and remember that no matter what someone goes through- never try to act as if it wasn't a big deal. If it's your son, your daughter, your sister or your brother, or even a friend; just remember that all sexual abuse is damaging no matter how far it goes."

His eyes flickered back to where Blaine was waiting for him. "And if any of you out there think otherwise I sincerely hope you realize just how wrong you are before you hurt somebody who's already suffering."

He turned back for a moment and motioned for the boy standing back there to come forward. There was a long moment of quiet where only the bustle of the crowd was apparent, before Blaine stepped towards him.

His jaw trembled and he smiled tightly when a hand touched his wrist. Blaine was standing next to him, eyes bright. "Do- do you mind?" Blaine asked in a quiet voice.

"That's kind of why I called you up here," A weak smile found his face and Kurt pressed the microphone into Blaine's hands carefully. "You have a story to tell too Blaine. You have your own battle and if you need me here, I'm here."

Blaine's hand tightened around Kurt's and he nodded before raising the microphone until it was a few inches from his lips. "I think Kurt pretty much said it all for me," he said shakily, listening to how his voice reverberated through the speakers. "I- um- I just wanted to add that- um parents out there, your kids need you so _please_- don't let them down. There's this saying I've heard- that every baby is born with a need to be loved and never outgrows it. It's true. Even a man, or a teenager, wants that parental approval- that love that parents are supposed to have for their children."

"You may not think this has a lot to do with what we're here for," Blaine continued in a soft voice, still holding the microphone tight in his hands, "but it does. My parents- my dad especially- blame me for something that someone else tried to do to me. I just want you all to realize that support can make or break someone dealing with this. I was lucky- I have an aunt that's like a mother to me, that took me into her home and treated me like her own child despite all the troubles and nightmares and extra expenses, but not everyone has an aunt like that, so just- parents, be _there_."

Kurt took the microphone back when Blaine shoved it his way and gave another weak smile, "Thank you all so much for listening and please- try to remember that we're all people and we _all_ hold the rights to our own bodies; each and every single one of us."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Finally home for Christmas and just in time for my dad's birthday (I got home on the 19th which was his 51st birthday). Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza or whatever you celebrate (or don't celebrate, in that case happy wintertime). I'm basically just wishing you a happy winter holiday. I know I'm excited for this holiday season. I bought my 3.5 year old cousin her first set of skates for Christmas and I'm going to take her out for her first skating lesson!

Oh and the next chapter will be up on December 30th which also happens to be my big brother's 24th birthday! Anyways please let me know what you thought of this chapter in a review.


	24. Chapter 24: Someone Like You

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning**: Mentions of non-con, swearing and the like.

**A/N**: This is the last official chapter other than the epilogue; that's my excuse for how long it is. Okay well it's not really that long, but it did end up being longer than I expected. This chapter is basically a tying up of loose ends considering I feel like in the last chapter Kurt did the one thing that proved he'd gotten himself back on the right track (by that I mean telling everyone about what happened and proving it wouldn't take him over).

I'm so sorry if there are a few grammatical errors! It's my brother's birthday and I didn't have as much time to edit as usual. I'll probably go back tomorrow and look over it again and re-edit, but I didn't want to make you wait an extra day. Enjoy!

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><p><span>Chapter 24<span> – Someone Like You

"Guys," Finn's greeted his brother and his boyfriend when they stepped off the stage to find the whole of New Directions and their chaperones waiting for them, "You good?"

"I feel oddly relieved," Kurt let out with a heavy breath. "That it's done and you know- that it may have made a difference."

"What about you dude?" Finn asked and Blaine looked a little taken aback when the question was directed his way. "I didn't think you were gonna say anything, but well you know- you looked kind of sad up there."

Blaine shrugged his shoulders, before looking pensive. "Actually um, Finn I realized something when Kurt was saying his bit- well the part about how it's all damaging no matter how far it goes and well… I forgot to thank you."

Finn's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Thank me for what exactly?"

"When you came after me that day, you saved me," Blaine reminded him in a soft voice, "from something that could have been much worse. If you hadn't have shown up he would have raped me, but you scared him away."

"I'm sure someone else would have-"

"It probably would have been too late," Blaine cut him off with a shake of his head and smiled weakly, "Don't sell yourself short Finn. You- you saved me. So- thank you."

Finn stared at Blaine for a long moment. Had he really saved the other boy? He hadn't really thought of it that way before. To him it had always seemed like he'd been just a little too late. He hadn't stopped it from starting.

Now here Blaine was reminding him that at least he'd stopped it from finishing. Maybe that was enough?

After all Kurt had said many times that Blaine had helped him get through it. If Blaine had been raped too, maybe he wouldn't have been able to help Kurt as much. Not to mention how destructive that would have been for Blaine too, had it happened. The shorter boy was always saying he wasn't as strong as Kurt, or something like that. Maybe that one little action, maybe that one decision to go after Blaine that day had made a real difference after all.

"I- your welcome I guess," Finn muttered in a soft voice, feeling oddly lighter than he had before. Out of all the things he'd done wrong; not being there when it happened to Kurt, yelling at Rachel and everything else, he'd managed to do at least one thing right.

He was surprised by the sudden hug that engulfed him and he briefly returned Blaine's embrace. "You've really been great Finn, through all of this," Blaine told him in a firm voice, "I don't know if you know that, but you should."

"I don't know-"

"He's right," he heard Kurt pipe up and he turned his head towards his brother, "You've really proven to be a great brother Finn. You stood up for me and protected me-"

"Not when it mattered-"

"Are you kidding me?" Kurt shook his head in disbelief, "I can only imagine the number of times he might have gotten me alone if you hadn't organized the whole Secret Service. You were the one who told Blaine, who helped convince me to tell the truth. You were there for me when I needed someone- when I had no one else to turn to. Finn you are the best brother I could have ever asked for."

He felt his cheeks start to heat up and he mumbled, "Dude I-"

"Except for the fact you keep calling me 'dude'," Kurt's voice was teasing him softly now; "That I could live without."

Finn found a smile growing on his face before he teased back, "Well you can't expect me to be perfect, can you… _dude."_

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><p>"Blaine!" Blaine's head whipped around when he heard the familiar voice calling his name. Through the crowd of people he caught sight of five teenage boys dressed casually in jeans, although one was wearing an obnoxiously white denim jacket. "Hey Ms. Anderson," they greeted his aunt easily.<p>

Blaine just stared at them for a long moment; shock pervading his features.

"Hello boys. It's nice to see you," she told them softly, knowing a few of them from their visits to her house to see Blaine.

The five boys turned from his aunt to grin at Blaine and he felt his jaw drop slightly, "What- what are you guys doing here?"

"Kurt called us," Wes smiled lightly as he pulled the curly-haired boy into a short, tight hug. "He thought you might need some of your old friends around. Are you glad to see us?"

Blaine's face broke into a slow smile, despite that his eyes grew a little misty. "Of course I am. Guys, this means more than you know. And you're not my _old_ friends; you're my best friends." He paused for a moment and added, "I- thank you- for coming I mean."

David, Jeff, Nick and Trent all hugged him briefly and he felt some of the tension drain from his shoulders in the presence of his friends. A soft smile found his face and his eyes prickled. He blinked furiously for a moment, a little overcome that they'd drive such a long way just to support him. He hadn't even known they knew about the event. He'd thought about mentioning it, but in the end had decided that the rally was more for Kurt than him anyway.

Yet the five other boys had still found out and come despite his silence.

"So where's Kurt?" Nick spoke up, breaking into his thoughts as a denim clad arm slung around Blaine's shoulder. "I wanted to congratulate him on what he said up there. It -his speech- was really powerful. Yours was too, by the way."

"He teared up," Jeff commented in a quiet voice, not teasing the other boy like he usually would. It was a little odd to see the blond boy as anything other than the excitable kid he remembered when he left Dalton. Apparently a lot of things had changed.

He frowned when he heard Jeff add, "I did too, to be honest. Actually I think we all did."

It was then that he noticed the slight redness in his friends' eyes. He hadn't had the intention of making anyone cry. His shoulders slumped downward a little, "Sorry- I didn't mean to make you-"

"Don't give us that," Wes nudged him with an elbow in the ribs and gave him a small smile as he cut him off. "Cheer up a little Blaine. You didn't make us cry. Your douche-bag father did that- by being a douche-bag." Wes paused, this time apparently aiming for distraction, "Now, I believe Nicholas here asked about Kurt's whereabouts."

"Oh, he's with his family," Blaine pointed out to where Kurt was standing with his parents and Finn, being congratulated by them. "I wanted to give them a moment." He frowned for a second; looking at his friends, "Nick you do realize when Kurt sees that jacket he'll probably claw his eyes out or something. I mean it's- and this is coming from me- it's very- obnoxious and, well, ugly. I mean it might be cute on a twelve year old girl or something, but um, not on you, sorry."

Nick mock pouted a little bit, "but it's my favorite."

"It's white and sparkly and you've paired it with more denim," Blaine just shook his head, "Actually it looks a little tight- is that your little sister's jacket?"

"His sister took the fall when he broke his mother's favorite vase. He wouldn't have been able to come otherwise," Jeff supplied, looking a little more perky now that the conversation had turned. "This was her form of punishment. We have to take pictures as well, that's the rule."

Blaine managed a smile. Something told him that the jacket had a little less to do with Nick's sister and more to do with his friends wanting to do something a little crazy to try to take his mind off things. He missed the Warblers crazy antics and general insanity. He sniffled a little and blinked again. Such a silly little thing was making him all misty eyed again.

He smiled at his friends again as Jeff snapped a picture of him and Nick in his ridiculous jacket. He paused after the flash, a thought striking him; Nick's parents were kind of strict and so were Trent's. They'd never have been allowed to drive to Cleveland without an adult present, yet he couldn't see any of their parents in the vicinity at all. "Wait a minute. How'd you guys get here? I doubt your parents let you come by yourselves. Are they here?"

They all just shook their heads and David spoke up, "Actually, you're mom rented a van and drove us up. She sent us up ahead to talk to you, in case you didn't want to see her. She's afraid you hate her. What you said up there, it really had an impact on her too, I think."

Blaine swallowed thickly, before he spoke, "She's my mother. I can't hate her." He looked in the direction his friends had come in and could just barely make out his mother in a pair of dark boot cut jeans. She was watching him carefully from afar.

When she found him looking in her direction her eyes turned questioning. Her hand lifted in a small wave.

Blaine waved back uncertainly and found himself trembling with anticipation as his mother took it as an indication to start weaving her way through the crowd towards them. He looked at his friends quickly, "She really drove you guys?"

"Yeah," Trent spoke up in a soft voice. "We weren't sure how we were going to get there. All our parents were busy or out of town and they weren't going to let us go by ourselves. Jeff mentioned asking your parents since he figured they were going, but when he did-"

"Why didn't you tell us just how much of an asshole your dad is?" Jeff asked with a raise eyebrow.

"Not really my favourite topic of conversation," Blaine shrugged; his voice tight.

"She didn't even know about it and your dad was kind of a jerk about it," Wes added as if Jeff hadn't spoken at all. "We were actually surprised when your mom offered to take us, considering how against it your dad was." He paused for a second, "I won't repeat what he said."

"That would probably be wise," Marina spoke in a tense voice, knowing exactly what sort of man her brother was.

"Blaine," Blaine stopped listening to the conversation now that his mother was only a few feet away from him. "Sweetie, I- How are you?"

Blaine shrugged his shoulders; his muscles tense. "I didn't think you cared."

"Of course I do. You're my son. I love you," Dawn Anderson told him in a broken sounding voice. "Nothing could ever make me stop Blaine. You have to know that."

His throat tightened and he looked her hard in her eyes, "Since when? Since when have you loved me? You said it was my fault! How can you even be here, at a protest against blaming victims when you blame me?" Tears prickled in his eyes and he turned away from her. "You don't love me."

"Yes I do," she insisted in a soft, gentle voice. "I love you Blaine, with all of my heart. I always have. I just- I- your father-" she shook her head, unable to find the words. "Listen to me Blaine. I know I haven't always been there for you. I know I've made some horrible mistakes, but that doesn't change the fact that you are my son and I love you."

"You've never been there for me," Blaine snapped, his eyes darkening as they snapped up to meet hers.

"Maybe you're right," her voice weakened, before a pleading tone edged its way in, "but maybe that could change now. Blaine, I know it wasn't your fault. I was wrong before, but I know better now. You don't know how sorry I am that I ever tried to make you think it was your fault, because it wasn't. It wasn't Blaine." Her arms reached forward, begging silently for him to step into her embrace.

He didn't. Instead he remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

"I just didn't want to admit that I'd failed so badly as a mother," she continued softly, "and in doing so I failed you even more. I wish I could change that, but I can't." Tears were welling in her eyes, her arms still reaching for him, "No one has the right to force you to do something you don't want to and nothing could ever make it your fault, no matter what your father says. What you and Kurt said up there, that's what right; that's what's true, not what your father and I tried to tell you." There was another pause, "And there is nothing wrong with being who you are Blaine, nothing."

"Even if being who I am means being gay?" Blaine asked in a stiff voice.

"There's nothing wrong with it, absolutely nothing," she promised him gently, her voice still trembling. "You are my son, and you've fallen in love with a wonderful boy from that speech I heard up there. Whether you're gay or straight doesn't have any bearing on how I feel about you. I should have realized that a long time ago. Your father should have too. He should know it now-"

"He doesn't though," Blaine said shortly.

"It's hard for him," she said softly. "He can't accept you; or at least he won't try to, but not because you're gay. At least that's not the main reason. He doesn't understand that- that this isn't the time for tough love or whatever he's convinced himself he's doing. That's why I'm leaving him. I'm moving out of the house. I thought maybe I'd buy a little place in Lima." She looked at him pleadingly, her eyes filled with liquid, "I thought I could be closer to my son."

He still didn't step closer to her, refusing to let her reaching arms wrap around him. He let out a contemptuous snort, almost unaware that his aunt and friends were watching their interaction. "You say you love me; that you accept me but you still don't want me living with you-"

"I'd love it if you'd live with me," his mother blurted out quickly, tears slipping down her cheeks, "but if I'm going to be a good mother from now on I need to learn to do what's best for you. I haven't done that before but I'm going to do it now." Her eyes flickered from Marina to Blaine, "I know that Marina is what's best for you right now. You need someone stable and caring, who's always been there for you. You need someone who knows instinctively what you need and I know that's not me." There was a pause, "I know I'm not what's best for you. I know that she's been the mother I've failed to be and it kills me, Blaine. I hope- I hope even after everything I've put you through that you can forgive me- that you can still love me."

"You're my mom," he murmured, his eyebrows furrowing, "Of course I love you." He paused for a long moment, chewing on his lip, "Did- did you really mean all of that- what you said?"

"Baby, I meant every word of it," she told him gently.

Blaine stepped forward shakily into her still slightly outstretched arms, letting them close around him tightly. His arms moved almost as if on their own to clutch his mother tightly. "I love you Mom."

"Oh baby I love you too," she whispered, squeezing her child as if she'd never let go.

He buried his face in her shoulder, tears leaking from his eyes just slightly when he felt his mother tense her arms around him and a hand laid on his shoulder.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" He heard his aunt's voice harden and he turned in his mother's arms as the hand left his shoulder and he heard his father's voice.

"I'm here to support my son," his father's voice was firm and Blaine's mother tightened her arms around him gently.

There was a contemptuous snort off to the side from David.

His father turned to face him and Blaine blinked up at him when a hand was outstretched to him. "Look Blaine," his father began, dropping his hand when Blaine made no motion to shake it. "I-I'm sorry for the way I've been acting lately. I should have supported you better. I shouldn't blame you for what that boy did."

Blaine continued to stare. This just seemed way too good to be true. Hadn't his mother just said that his father was unwilling to even try to understand?

"Honestly I didn't want to see you in pain," his father shrugged softly.

Blaine watched silently as his aunt stepped around to take a protective stance beside him and his mother. The Warblers were at his side too, he noticed, glaring daggers at his father. "You didn't have to see me in pain. You abandoned me. You came to see me once in two months and that was only to blame me. You didn't even come to the trial when I had to testify."

"I know and I'm sorry."

"Nate," he heard his mother's voice darken and her tone was firm. He looked at her a little in surprise. She'd never heard her speak that way, especially to her husband. "This isn't going to make me take you back." His mother took a deep breath, "My son comes first."

"I don't just want you back Dawn," his father spoke in a careful voice that didn't seem to scream sincerity, but rather desperation. "I want you both back. I want you both to come home. A boy's place is with his parents."

"This boy's place is with me," his aunt's voice picked up, very firmly. "Dawn and I have both agreed on this and Blaine is old enough to make his own decisions now."

Blaine just shook his head, "I'm not going back Dad. Maybe you're trying, but you still don't get it. You never got it." He pressed back against his mother lightly, still looking up at his father and finding his courage, "I don't want empty apologies Dad. I want them to _mean_ something."

"You're right, I _don't_ get it," his father muttered suddenly, "or I didn't. I don't know. What I do know is that what you and your friend said up there was right. It wasn't your fault. It doesn't mean that I like the whole gay thing, but I guess you can't help that either, can you?" His father shook his head, "Look I'll leave if you want me to, but think about giving me another chance, alright?"

"He's not just my friend Dad. He's my boyfriend," Blaine shook his head softly. "Can you please go?" He watched for a moment as his father just shook his head.

"Alright your boyfriend-"

"Dad please I can't do this right now," Blaine whispered softly, his jaw starting to tremble. He did not want to cry or break down here in front of his friends, no matter if he knew they would understand. He especially didn't want to cry in front of his father. Maybe his father was pretending to care, but he had a definite policy of 'boy's don't cry'.

"Blaine-"

"You said you'd leave if he asked you to," Wes spoke up in a very firm, adult sounding voice; taking charge of the situation before either Blaine's mother or aunt could open their mouths. "Mr. Anderson, Blaine asked you to."

His father bit back what sounded like a growl, before just shaking his head. He watched as his father exchanged a pointed look with his mother, and slowly turned to walk off.

"Baby, are you okay?" His mother asked him quietly and he just shook his head softly, before turning to hug her tightly again.

"I thought I'd jump at the chance if- if he wanted to be in my life again, but- but he didn't- he didn't even say that he loved me," he whispered in a soft voice. "He didn't really come here for me Mom. I know that."

"Hey," her arms tightened around him and he sank into the embrace, "No matter how idiotic the man I married is, I will always love you. I'm here now Blaine, sweetheart, and I'm not going anywhere, never again."

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><p>Kurt's eyes caught sight of Mr. Anderson and he broke away from his family and friends before placing himself directly in front of the man, "Hello Mr. Anderson. I have to say you're one of the last people I expected to see here."<p>

"Hello Kurt," Mr. Anderson spoke stiffly. "I was just leaving."

Kurt's face turned into a frown and he stared at Blaine's father for a long moment, "You do know the rally's nowhere near over yet, don't you?"

He watched as the look on Mr. Anderson's face soured even more. "Blaine asked me to leave. If he doesn't want me here I'm not going to force it." The face twisted uncomfortably as he added in a stiff voice, "That's happened a little too much in his life apparently. I'm not about to add to it."

Kurt stared at the man for a long moment, trying to discern his tone of voice. There were hints of resignation and defeat, but something about the words didn't ring genuine for some reason. It probably had to do with the stiff, forced quality. "Mr. Anderson, look, it seems like you're trying but- you're not trying hard enough."

Lines of anger etched into the man's face, "What the hell-"

"Just listen for a moment," Kurt retorted, straightening himself up. "I understand that it's hard for you because you're not used to it, but just listen, okay? You're here and that's something and you're _trying_ to abide by Blaine's wishes but honestly it doesn't take a genius to see that you're not really into whatever it is you're doing here."

Mr. Anderson just glared at him for a long moment, "What exactly are you getting at Kurt?"

"You're not trying to understand what Blaine's feeling. You're not really supporting him. You're just pretending. I don't know why, but it's pretty obvious." Kurt sucked in a breath and shook his head.

"Look kid," Mr. Anderson said in a voice that dipped a little lower, "You think you know everything. I get that- it's a teenager thing, but you don't know a thing about me. I'm sorry for what happened to you. I'm sorry it happened to Blaine-"

"Except you haven't told him that, have you?" Kurt cut in sharply. "Don't tell me I don't know anything. I know how rough the world is. I _know._ What I don't understand is why you can't be a dad to your son." He shook his head and stood taller even as Mr. Anderson glared darkly at him. It was intimidating but he forced himself to stand his ground, for Blaine.

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"That's not enough," Kurt snapped in an abrupt tone, his hands finding his hips. He shook his head, "My dad loves me and he tells me every single day. He's there for me. He comforts me. He takes care of me. He does all the things you don't do for Blaine. You're his father, but he's told me himself that he can't remember the last time you were his _dad._"

"I don't have to listen to this." Mr. Anderson brushed passed him, before pointing his arm to the left and speaking in a stiffly polite tone, "Blaine's over there with his aunt, his mother and a few of his crass friends from Dalton. Goodbye Kurt."

The man had disappeared in the crowd before Kurt could say much else, so instead he found Blaine in the crowd standing with his mother, aunt and five of the Warblers.

He waved a little at his friends, smiling weakly. He gave Blaine an odd look when they locked eyes, noticing the way his boyfriend was standing with his mother's arms around him.

"Hey guys," he said in a soft voice, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He looked at Blaine's aunt for a moment, "Hi Ms. Anderson," a poignant pause, "Mrs. Anderson."

"Again Kurt, you can call me Marina, I don't mind," Blaine's aunt told him with a soft, sweet smile.

"Sorry, Marina," he corrected softly, before turning his eyes to Mrs. Anderson.

"Hello Kurt, dear," Mrs. Anderson's voice was only slightly faltering.

"It's alright Kurt," Blaine told him in a quiet voice. He looked up at Kurt and let out a shaky smile. "She apologized and everything-"

Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"She left my dad," the other boy added in a whisper.

"She's your mother," Kurt's shoulders slumped softly and he let out a sigh, "I don't blame you for being so easily forgiving, but I'm going to reserve judgement if you don't mind."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Mrs. Anderson told him, her voice still quite soft, although now it seemed to crack slightly. "I know I've been- lacking- in the parenting department. I'm so thankful that Marina's been able to pick up my slack and that you've been there for my son when I couldn't, despite everything you must be going through." She paused for a moment and opened her arms a little wider.

Kurt stepped stiffly forward and allowed her to embrace both him and Blaine at the same time.

"You're such a brave young man Kurt. I'm really proud that my boy found someone like you," she told him a quiet voice and tightened her arms around both of them momentarily.

"Thank you," Kurt answered softly, happy to find the sincerity in her voice that had been so lacking in her husband. "I'm glad I found someone like him too."

He pulled back slightly and smiled at the Warblers again, "Hey guys. Glad you could make it."

"You can thank Mrs. Anderson for that, well and yourself for telling us," Jeff said in a careful voice, as if trying to convince Kurt to forgive the woman for her mistakes a little more quickly, "but we wouldn't have been able to come if she hadn't agreed to drive us."

Kurt gave a small smile, "Well I'm glad she did. I miss you guys." There was a pause, then his eyes landed on something that made him feel suddenly nauseous. "Nick, what the hell are you wearing?"

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><p>"Hey Azimio," Kurt called when he saw the bigger boy standing with the small redhead and her mother. Blaine was still at his side, although his family and the Warblers were now mingling with the New Directions. They'd decided upon seeing Azimio and the auburn haired girl to break away for a few moments and Kurt clasped his hand tighter remember how the girl's mother had acted at the clinic. "Could we talk to you?"<p>

"Sure," he smiled at the girl and her mother, "You mind if they listen in? I don't want to lose them in the crowd."

"It's not a problem. We get it. The rest of our group is sticking close by too," Kurt said slowly, waving his hand in the general direction of their large group. He paused, his eyes meeting that of the woman's and noticed that there was no look of disgust on her face now, but a sad understanding. Apparently he'd made a bit of an impact already with that one speech.

Even if she still didn't approve of their orientation, at least she now understood what they were going through. "I- I mean we-" he motioned to Blaine, "wanted to know if you still wanted to form a chapter of PFLAG?"

"Yeah, sure," Azimio still kind of looked a little uncomfortable, but that look fell when he turned to the redheaded girl and asked, "You'd join, right Isabel?"

She nodded her head. "I'd like to get to know you better, so we could be friends," she aimed the comment at Kurt softly, before smiling back at Azimio, "So that'd be cool Az." She looked at her mother, "Maybe you should join too Mom."

The woman looked at her daughter and how the small mouth had turned into a pout and gave a small grimace of a smile, "I'll come out a few times if you really want me too Bel."

The girl grinned at her mother and stuck out her hand to Kurt, "I didn't really introduce myself properly last time. I'm Isabel O'Hara."

He shook her hand and smiled with vague amusement, "Kurt Hummel, but you knew that." He gestured to Blaine who shook her small hand next, "and this is my boyfriend Blaine Anderson." He peered into her freckled, somewhat childlike face and asked her very quietly with a small, almost mischievous, grin, "So," he gestured to Azimio, "That your boyfriend?"

She leaned forward with a sly look and whispered just as quietly, "Not yet."

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><p><strong>AN**: I don't know how everyone feels about the ending, considering I decided to end it with the inclusion of an OC who's had not a lot of time in the story, but I wanted to portray the idea of finding a new normal. I think that's what Kurt's doing by adding forming new friendships (with someone who understands what he went through) and changing his mind about PFLAG. Plus he was able to verbally chew out Mr. Anderson which I think he wouldn't have been able to do earlier in his healing process. He's standing up for himself and those he cares about, which I personally think is a big deal for his recovery.

So while it's the end, it's not really the end. We do have an epilogue left that will take place two months after this chapter does (only within the story, I promise I won't make you wait two months for the epilogue :P). I will warn you now that the epilogue will contain some smutty themes. However I want the overall of the epilogue to actually be about the healing. Originally I wasn't going to do it (the smutty themes that is), but I got some requests and I honestly think it's a step the boys need to take in their healing eventually. It'll be posted Friday the 6th of January, 2012 (the only chapter to be posted in 2012)!

Leave me a review, pretty please? I spent Christmas away from my kitty (my mean brother is allergic so I had to have someone care for her for me) and I need some reviews to cheer me up!


	25. Chapter 25: Epilogue

**Summary**: Karofsky's pled guilty but the fallout of his conviction sends tidal waves through McKinley High. It's hard enough to deal with the fallout, but it's even harder when no one knows just how far Karofsky's friends will go for revenge. Sequel to Invisible.

**Warning**: SMUT!

**A/N**: I really don't write smut. I really don't and yet… here I've written a chapter that is mostly that, albeit very sweet, reassuring, gentle smut, but still… I don't really write it. I hope I've done okay considering it's not really my forte.

Literally I think I panicked over this chapter even more than I did over the last and I seriously panicked over the last chapter. Honestly I had very little idea of what I was doing here. I hope it's to everyone's satisfaction. I'm still not totally happy with it, but I did promise it would be up today and I have to go to work soon and then I have a date afterwards so if I don't do it now it won't happen today at all.

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><p><span>Chapter 25<span> – Epilogue

_Two Months Later_

"So your aunt's at work?" Kurt asked in a quiet voice as he and his boyfriend stepped into Marina Anderson's darkened house and lightly kicked off their shoes.

"Until nine," Blaine confirmed in his normal volume, flicking on the hall lights. "Even if she was home you wouldn't have to whisper, you know."

Kurt let out a soft laugh and shook his head, "I guess so."

"Besides whispering would make her ask what we were up to," Blaine teased, pulling Kurt forward gently by the hand. "And even if she was home, we could have always gone to my mom's. I have a key and she's out to Westerville for the weekend; something about a meeting between my father and his lawyer."

Kurt bit his lip, sensing the lacing of discontent in Blaine's voice and let his fingers squeeze around the other boy's hand. "Is he still refusing to sign the divorce papers?"

Blaine shrugged, "He still thinks we're coming back."

"Still calling you?"

"Every other day," Blaine shook his head as he led them into the kitchen, "You'd think he'd eventually realize I'm never going to answer." He shrugged his shoulders again and opened the fridge, "You want a drink, or a snack or something?"

"We just had dinner," Kurt reminded him softly as Blaine closed the fridge without taking anything out. "You just want to change the subject." He grabbed both of Blaine's hands and started leading him down the now familiar hallway to the other boy's bedroom. "I can think of better ways to do that."

Blaine blinked dumbly for a moment, allowing himself to be lead into his own bedroom, before a small smile grew onto his face. He slid onto the made bed and let his hands wrap around Kurt's waist as the paler boy leaned down to press a zealous kiss onto his lips.

Fingertips found the hem of Kurt's shirt, before pulling it off gently and admiring what had lain underneath; the pale expanse of skin held tight over slender, toned muscles.

This was nothing new; not yet.

Kurt crawled up onto the bed with his boyfriend, his fingers repeating the actions Blaine's had done only moments before and carefully peeling off his boyfriend's shirt. The skin there was slightly darker, the muscles slightly more pronounced and lightly covered in a smattering of dark hair; and, to Kurt, perfect.

"Your jeans?" Blaine's voice was quiet and tentative as his hands brushed lightly over the plains of Kurt's stomach, stopping them before they went any lower. He chewed his lower lip for a moment.

Kurt always tended to waffle depending on his mood on whether he'd allow Blaine to move any further.

Kurt just nodded his head. Blaine's fingers slid lower and carefully unbuttoned the denim, before gently sliding them down the other boy's pale legs. He shrugged his own off soon after, leaving both boys lying on the bed in their underwear as Kurt's hands carefully pulled his boyfriend down to meld their lips together.

Blaine pulled back slightly and started trailing kisses down his jawline.

"Blaine?" Kurt whispered questioningly between the passionate kisses Blaine was now pressing down his chest and abdomen, leaving a fiery trail.

"Yeah?" He answered breathlessly, his hand brushing against Kurt's jaw. "You want me to stop?"

Kurt shook his head, "Opposite, actually. Um, feel free to say no, but- I think- I think I want to go a little farther now." He looked Blaine in his amber eyes seriously, his eyes reflecting love and trust. "I know you'll stop if I ask you to and I love you. I want- I want you Blaine, so much."

Blaine looked up carefully, "Are you sure? I could just-" he placed his hand by Kurt's inner thigh, stroking the soft skin lazily under the fabric of his boxers "-take care of you."

Kurt shook his head, "I'm ready for this Blaine- if you are."

"I'm just scared," Blaine admitted in a soft voice, "I don't want to hurt you."

"It's going to hurt anyway," Kurt knew he wasn't exactly being reassuring, but he had to let his boyfriend know the facts. Well he assumed Blaine already knew them, but it still had to be said, "The first time always does, but-"

"Oh I'm ready for that," Blaine looked suddenly relieved for some reason. "I know it'll hurt, but we'll take it slow and-"

"Wait a second," Kurt stopped him, propping himself up on his elbow with a slight frown, "You changed your tune awful fast."

"Well it's not exactly the same, is it?" Blaine questioned after a moment's thought. "I mean I know I had nightmares, but it doesn't have the same connotations for me as it does for you, does it?"

"Oh," Kurt shook his head shakily, "No Blaine. This time; this first time I want you to make love to me."

"But you said the first time-"

"You will be my first," Kurt told him, his eyes becoming wet. "You were my first kiss and now I want you to be my first lover, possibly my only lover. Actually I'm pretty sure I want you to be my only."

"I-I don't understand."

"Recently I realized something," Kurt whispered thickly. "I don't believe in a lot of things, but I do believe that firsts are given, not taken away. I gave you my first kiss and I'm giving you my virginity. The other time, it doesn't count. I can't count it. I know it happened and believe me it still hurts, but I can't count it this way; because- because it wasn't really about sex- and it definitely wasn't about love. It was all about power- and you and me, we're all about love."

"I love you too," Blaine whispered with a weak smile, "Promise to tell me if it gets too much; promise that if you're unsure at all, or scared or anything, that you'll ask me to stop?"

"I promise."

Blaine carefully kissed his boyfriend's lips, before trailing his lips down his neck. When Kurt carefully moved over onto his stomach, he trailed the kisses down his vertebrae. Carefully he ran his hands over the smooth skin that lay just below his boyfriend's lower back before tentatively allowing his fingers to rest on the elastic waistband. He carefully pulled them down and spoke softly, "We're going to need something. Do you have anything?"

"I keep some, just- just in case," Kurt whispered, averting his eyes slightly; not mentioning that part of the reason he had them had little to do with Blaine. He'd bought them after the trial; a just in case measure to protect him if something like that ever happened again. "They're in the drawer," Kurt whispered softly, turning again to run his hands along Blaine.

He needed a distraction. That wasn't what he wanted to think about tonight. All he wanted to think about was _Blaine; _using those things with Blaine, feeling Blaine, loving Blaine.

"No," Blaine whispered to him, pulling a condom and a small bottle from the drawer. "I still want to take care of you, okay? Just relax and let me make you feel good, please?"

"Blaine," Kurt flipped himself over and propped himself up on his elbows, leaning up to press a gentle kiss on Blaine's lips. "I want to do this with you; _with_ you. Let me, okay? I need to- to participate; to be a part of it."

"Okay. I'm sorry," Blaine murmured in a soft voice, his lower lip trembling slightly.

"Don't be," Kurt smiled softly, kissing the trembling lip slightly. "I know you're just trying to make this as easy on me as possible." He let his fingertips drag lightly down Blaine's sides and gently slipped down his boxers before speaking again, "I can do this Blaine. I want to do this. I'm ready."

He took the condom and the bottle from Blaine and gave him a little smile. "Give me your hand," he murmured, popping the bottle open.

Blaine swallowed thickly and gave Kurt his hand, watching as Kurt poured some of the liquid onto his fingers. He rubbed it over them softly as Kurt's fingers then closed around his wrist in a light, gentle grip and led it downward. "Kurt, are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Kurt told him softly. He frowned for a moment, pausing, before he spoke thickly, "but if you're not ready for this, we can wait."

"I just don't want to hurt you," Blaine explained in a small voice, his eyes misting. "I'm worried I'll hurt you and Kurt- I just can't do that. I love you so much and-"

"You're not going to hurt me, not in the way you're worried about," Kurt insisted to him gently. "You wouldn't let yourself. You'd stop if I asked you to." He paused and shook his head, "The fact you're so worried about this makes me even more comfortable doing this with you. Blaine I know you'd never, ever hurt me."

Blaine nodded his head and carefully circled his finger gently around the opening. Kurt gave out a soft moan at the gentle touch and his eyes fluttered. He prodded gently, not yet confident enough to push it inside.

"Blaine," Kurt's voice was light and almost breathless. "You're teasing me."

"Sorry," he muttered nervously, carefully adding a little more pressure so his finger slid passed the muscles and Kurt let out a soft gasp that made him freeze. "Kurt? Kurt, are you okay?"

"I am more than okay," Kurt mumbled, his voice sounding a little dazed; "Hurts a bit, but in a good way, if that makes any sense?"

"You feel good," Blaine said in a thick voice.

"You should move a bit," Kurt told him breathily. A hand reached forward and wrapped gently and firmly around his boyfriend, giving a long smooth stroke that obviously sent a jolt through the other boy by the way his hand and the finger inside him moved almost of its own volition.

The next time it moved Blaine was gently pushing in and out purposefully, although there were moments when the movements were sharper as Kurt's hand worked him over.

"I-" Blaine stopped, his voice faltering, "I'm going to try another one, is that okay?"

"Uh huh," Kurt nodded his head, reaching upward and kissing Blaine's lips, his free hand reaching around to wrap a hand around his neck to intensify the kiss. Both their hands were still moving as their lips sought purchase with each other.

Kurt sucked Blaine's bottom lip between his teeth, nibbling softly, before he whispered against the other boy's mouth, "I love you Blaine."

"I love you too," Blaine whispered back, his fingers still tentatively and carefully readying his boyfriend.

Kurt's hand slid from his neck and drew down over his shoulder and down his chest slightly, before his fingers rolled over his nipple, forcing Blaine to let out a soft gasp of pleasure. Kurt let out a soft, slightly nervous laugh, asking, "What? Want me to do that again?"

"Please," Blaine murmured, a third finger making a questioning prod to seek entrance.

Kurt repeated the rolling movement, before smiling softly again at the response it elicited from his boyfriend. He paused for a moment when the third finger pressed into him, his jaw trembling. He looked at Blaine, seeing his boyfriend's questioning eyes and spoke softly, "It's good, I promise."

He leaned his head down and kissed Blaine's neck softly, before pressing the trail of kisses down his collarbone until his mouth secured firmly around the nipple opposite the one he'd rolled between his fingers.

He let his tongue flick it and an all-out moan escaped Blaine and the fingers inside him jerked again. He played around with the little nub a little longer, but stopped when the fingers started stretching before curling a bit, making him let out a moan of his own. His head fell back against the pillows and he found himself arching into him, his hands falling to the bed so he could clutch the sheets.

"Kurt?"

"It's just- too good," Kurt let out a pleasurable whimper. "It- it hurts too, but- so good."

"One more?" Blaine questioned, his pinky finger aligning itself but not pressing in just yet.

"Please," Kurt begged, his back arching forward again and Blaine obliged, letting the last finger slip into the small space. He let his fingers spread out again slightly and Kurt writhed beneath him.

It worried him but he reminded himself that if it was hurting Kurt, the other boy would tell him, would stop him. The look on Kurt's face didn't scream pain anyway with his eyes fluttering and his lips slightly parted. Apparently the writhing was a good thing.

"I don't think I can wait anymore," Kurt whispered in a shaky voice, confirming his thought. His hands were trembling as he started tearing open the foil package. He licked his lips, "Can I- could I put it on you?"

Blaine nodded without hesitation, his fingers slipped out of Kurt and watching as his boyfriend carefully rolled the condom onto him. He gently placed one of his hands on Kurt's hip as the other boy stroked him over the condom and applying more of the bottle's contents on him as he did.

Kurt drew him forward and it was Kurt's hand that guided the tip of him towards the gently and carefully stretched opening.

He pressed against him, but didn't apply enough pressure to push inside. He waited as Kurt's hands reached up to rest on his sides. "I'm ready," Kurt spoke up in a quiet voice, reiterating it again so Blaine would believe him.

Blaine nodded; his hips pressing forward lightly, one hand keeping him aligned.

Kurt let out a soft moan and stiffened slightly, his hands gripping Blaine's sides tightly. As if reading Blaine's mind he spoke shakily, "It's good. It's good. It just hurts, that's all. Just go slow."

"Whatever you need baby," Blaine whispered, pressing forward ever so slowly. He let out a little moan at the sensation of sinking passed the tight muscles and leaned down so his chest was pressed against Kurt's. He kissed his boyfriend before gently rocking forward.

Kurt gasped against his mouth and hands reached up to wrap around his back, fingers digging into his shoulders.

"Kurt?" He asked softly, hoping the movement hadn't been an expression of pain.

A little moan escaped Kurt's lips and glasz eyes locked on Blaine's, "Fine- better than fine- do-do that again."

He gently repeated the rocking motion as Kurt's lips latched onto his neck. He froze for a second, before relaxing. Despite the suction, it was tender and gentle. He rocked forward again and the hands fell from his back.

He took advantage and entwined the fingers of one hand with Kurt's, pressing it down against the bed for support. Kurt's hand jerked from his and he stopped, his eyes widening, "Kurt?"

"Fine, just," Kurt swallowed and let out a shaky smile before his hands reached to run along Blaine's ribs, "I'd- I'd rather-"

"I get it," Blaine whispered, blinking back the wetness that had grown in his eyes. It reminded Kurt too much of being held down, even if his only intention had been to hold his hand as they made love. He placed his hands on the bed for support instead and leaned down to kiss Kurt's lips gently at first, before the passion grew and Kurt's tongue slipped into his mouth. He kept his gentle rocking movements as steady as possible and then suddenly Kurt's hands were gripping his hips tightly. "Kurt? What?"

"I need-" he panted breathlessly after breaking the kiss and Blaine found himself trying to pull out but Kurt's hands tightened. "Faster."

"But-"

"I'm not going to break," Kurt reminded him, still panting slowly. "Please Blaine."

He found himself quite unable to argue.

* * *

><p>"I love you," Kurt whispered, feeling sweaty, satisfied and terribly safe in the arms wrapped around him gently.<p>

"I love you too," Blaine's voice murmured back to him, a hand reaching over to tilt Kurt's head up to his before kissing him very tenderly, "so much." He paused for a moment, licking his lips in a nervous gesture, "I-I didn't hurt you did I?"

Kurt winced but shook his head, "Not in the way that matters. It was perfect. You were perfect." This time it was he who raised a hand to gently trace his fingers over his boyfriend's jawline, "I couldn't imagine it being with anyone but you. I can't imagine being with anyone but you."

"I'm glad," Blaine whispered back at him softly, his arms tightening around him gently, "because I don't plan on ever letting you go."

"Well you're going to have to," Kurt told him in a serious sounding voice, despite a slight hint of humor pervading his tone. "There's just no getting around it."

"What?" Blaine's eyes widened in concern.

"Well I have to go home sometime or my family will worry," Kurt teased him softly before pressing a gentle kiss on his lips. "And it just might end badly for you if they found us here, like this."

Blaine pouted, his arms tightening slightly again before hiding his face in Kurt's neck, "Don't care. I'm not letting you go, ever. You'll just have to stay here with me forever."

"That doesn't sound _too_ awful," Kurt murmured teasingly with a content smile, sinking deeper in the other boy's embrace. "I think I could live with that."

* * *

><p>AN: I know people were saying how this scene should have Blaine being all sweet and gentle (which I still think he was) but I also think Kurt would have to do a lot of reassuring that everything Blaine was doing was okay. I can just see Blaine being terrified of hurting Kurt because of just how much he loves him, but it making him be even more sweet and gentle at the same time. I don't know, the idea of Kurt taking charge of the situation just seemed right to me.

I hope this was to your satisfaction. Honestly it was kind of difficult for me to write because I wanted the perfect mix of gentleness and passion while portraying how much they needed to take care of each other. Plus it was my first time writing anything smutty and I wasn't quite sure how to go about it.

In other news I can't believe Fallout is over. It seems like I've been writing it forever. I started posting in July and it's now January! This story took me six months, whoa. This story has pretty much been my baby during that time, so it's sad that it's over. I guess my baby's all grown up.

Anyways I just wanted to thank you all for going on this journey with me, for your kind reviews and personal messages. They truly make writing worth it.

All my love,

Nicbearosaurus.

P.S. My cat is sitting beside me watching very intently as I write this. She's watching you, so review! :P


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